I'll see you for who you are
by ZADRookie
Summary: ZADR. A fight in Zim's underground lab goes wrong making Dib face some "teenage" changes. Will he be able to overcome them or live with them? And, would Zim help him find a solution?
1. Ch 1 In touch with your feminine side

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! It's been a while since I posted anything at all. I hope you like this story I reciently came up with... and bare with me if it is not what you usally expect from a ZADR.

Thanks!

The " **x** " is a page braker.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**CHAPTER 1. In touch with your feminine side.**

"Take this, Zim!", the young paranormal investigator yelled when he threw a smoke bomb at the invader's feet.

"Punny human", the alien retorted while the spider legs in his backpack came out and immediately crawled away from the growing dusty cloud, "this is the best you can do!".

"I'm just warming up, space boy", said Dib, boldly. He didn't have any extra limbs, like Zim, to carry him wherever he pleased but he was confident on his own dexterity and wits, and years of fighting Zim had improved those skills. He also had a '_new_' gadget he wanted to try with Zim's spider legs, called _boleadoras_. He swirled the gadget over his head and tossed it toward the robotic limbs.

While surfing the net one day, Dib had ended in a Spanish web page that documented the life of a _gaucho_ and – even though he wasn't remotely interested in knowing anything about mankind – the image of two horsemen chasing a wild horse caught his eyes. The interesting part about that picture was the '_weapon_' the men were using to immobilize the horse; they seemed to be swinging some ropes with weights attached to the ends of it. The boy had googled the name of the tool and had found a web site that explained how to make them and another one that sold them. He decided to try to make his own set with the resources available and test them with his nemesis at a later time… and there they were.

_I hope they work_, he thought. Zim was crawling up the wall of his underground base when the _boleadoras_ caught three of the four spider legs and he fell rolling down. _Yes!_, Dib's mind cheered. Of course, the gadget was made of rope and the spider legs tore it apart with ease. _Ups! Too soon to celebrate_.

"Ouch! What was that!", Zim asked, while the spider legs lifted him up again and the alien rubbed the back of his head; he was angry that something so simple had made him vulnerable even if only for a split second. "You wanna play rough, Dib-stink? I'll show you ROUGH!"

Zim got close to a very big ray cannon that was resting a few feet away from where he fell. The cannon was fitted on a sturdy tripod so the alien only had to grab the handles placed at both sides of the machine and aim at the human.

"SAY YOUR PRAYERS, BIG HEAD!", the Irken laughed evilly… and shoot. Dib jumped aside and the shoot left a smoking burn where it hit.

"Whoa, Zim!", he said, "take it easy. Don't be a sore loser". That only enraged the alien even more, and he threw a rain of beams toward the boy; Dib ran attempting not to be caught by any of the shots. He jumped over one of Zim's working tables and grabbed a wrench that was laying on it; he swirled while in midair and threw the wrench toward the cannon. The last ray hit him on the chest making him fall to the other side of the table and on the floor.

"Ouff!", he grunted when his back hit the hard surface. He heard the wrench collide with the machine and some zapping, popping and electrical crackling came out of it. He even heard Zim say something in a weird dialect.

"Look what you have done, human!", the Irken started to complain, "my machine, MY BEAUTIFUL DOOM DEVICE!"

_Well, it is not so great if it doesn't harm anyone_, Dib thought while he started to stand. He checked what damage had the ray done to his chest and only found a pink mark, like a mosquito bite, where he had been hit_. That's all?_, he mentally complained, _it doesn't even count as a battle scar!_.

While Dib was disappointed, but relieved, about the results of Zim's deadly device, the invader came up to him and two of the spider legs pined the human and slammed him against the wall.

"You have damaged irken property, human", Zim lowly growled, clenching his teeth. "I should rip you up and use your skin as my _Unwelcome_ front door mat".

"Gee, Zim!", Dib gulped but attempted to be serene, "if that machine was so important to you, maybe you should have… I don't know… KEPT IT IN A SAFER PLACE!"

"MY BASE IS THE SAFEST PLACE OF ALL!", the invader yelled offended.

_If it were, I wouldn't be able to sneak in, you know?_, Dib's mind replied silently.

"Well…", Dib said, while thinking of a way to get out of there while Zim's tantrum faded away, "… then maybe you shouldn't have use it! Did you think I wasn't going to fight back whatever you threw at me!"

Zim seemed to ponder that answer and shook his head. Repairing the cannon was going to take him a while and his supplies of spare parts were reaching an almost nonexistent level. Yes, he had a long way to go before that cannon was up and running again. He let the human loose and Dib sighed in relief.

"Get out…", the invader growled again, "GET OUT!... before I change my mind".

Dib didn't wait to be told twice to flee from the place and he soon found himself on Zim's kitchen and walked to the living room, where Gir was watching TV.

"Bye Gir", he said waving good-bye to the SIR unit.

The little robot didn't respond, it was very focused on the Monkey Show at the time. Dib grabbed the doorknob and before he stepped out he attempted again. "I suggest you not to bother Zim for a while, he is… in not a very good mood right now". Gir just nodded but the raven-haired boy was sure the robot didn't pay attention to a word he said.

"Well", Dib muttered to himself while walking to his home, "I think I should really feel sorry for Zim… I mean… I broke his machine. But he could have killed me with it! He had no right to do that, either!" Dib went on and on talking with himself about who of both had more rights to feel aggravated. In the end, it was a tie; he reached his doorstep when he got to that resolution.

"I'll offer Zim help to fix it", he said, "that way, I know he will say _no_ and I will walk out guilt-free". Dib nodded in approval to his plan and went upstairs to his room; it was dark by the time he had come home and the table clock by his bed showed it was 10:30pm. He took off his clothes and changed into an old cotton shirt and his boxers; he let himself fall on his bed and closed his eyes. It was a much needed rest.

**x x x x x x**

Meantime, in Zim's underground base, the alien started to dismantle a section of the cannon – the part where the wrench had struck and gotten a part of its head in – to see if the piece replacement could be reduced to a minimum.

"Stupid, Dib", he ranted, "getting in my base and damaging Irken technology… it's a shame this ray didn't fried him and ended with him once and for all… and now, I have to fix it… the Tallest doesn't answer my messages… and I have no more resources but what I currently have here on this dirt ball".

What Zim didn't know was that the Tallest had purposely blocked any incoming messages from him, and even though the invader had always found a way to get through, the time was catching up with his technology while the massive had always the top-notch of it on board. For, you see, when Zim first arrived to Earth, Dib was 11 years old; now, 7 earth years had passed and even though Zim had grown taller he wasn't as taller as the tallest. Still, he was proud of his new acquired height. Dib was 18 years old and taller than him, but Zim wasn't going to let that stop his invasion.

Zim was stubborn and, even though he somehow knew that his mission had been a joke for his leaders, he wanted to prove how worthy he was by delivering to them the planet Earth, and he had tried to convince them more than once of sending him more supplies for his quest… all in vain.

"You will see, my Tallest", the alien whispered, "oh, you will see"…

**x x x x x x**

_Brip!… Brip!… Brip!…_

Dib's alarm clock ringed with a noisy tone. His hand came out of the bed sheet and turned it off. He slid out of bed and grumbled while walking out of his room and down the corridor to the bathroom. He let the water run from the faucet and washed his face; he looked at his reflection on the mirror…

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!, a girl screamed in horror.

"By Neptune!", his soft voice exclaimed, "this must be a really bad dream".

The image looking back at him from the mirror wasn't his own… but a girl version of it.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

By the way, I don't have a Title for this story yet. If you like it so far (or not) I will be glad to read some suggestions for it, the one I like the most will be used as this story's name. Thanks!

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	2. Ch 2 Have we met before?

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! It's been a while since I posted anything at all. I hope you like this story I reciently came up with... and bare with me if it is not what you usally expect from a ZADR.

Thanks!

The " **x** " is a page braker. _Italics_ are for thoughts or highlighted words.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**CHAPTER 2. Have we met before?**

While Dib almost stamped his face against the bathroom mirror to make sure his eyes weren't paying tricks on him, an annoyed grunt came from behind. He – or, rather, she – turned around and saw Gaz standing on the threshold: eyes squinted, arms crossed over her breast and foot tapping on the floor.

"Other people need to use the bathroom, Dib!", she hissed.

"Gaz!", Dib said relieved and stepped in front of his sister, "You recognize me! Then this must be a dream!... OUCH!"

"Nope, not a dream", Gaz said after pinching Dib's arm; the boy-girl rubbed the sore spot and realized what Gaz meant.

"OH, MAN!", he started to rant, "This must be Zim's fault! I was perfectly fine just yesterday… and then I went to spy on Zim and then he…"

"Dib!", Gaz half-growled, half-hissed, "I don't want to know about the perverted things Zim OR you are into. Now, get out of the bathroom if you already finished with your transvestite fetish!" Gaz pulled Dib by the arm and dragged him out of the bathroom not so gently; she slammed the door shut. Her last words were finally settling in Dib's mind.

"Perverted? Transvestite fetish! Ough! That's gross!", _**she**_ shivered. She slammed at the bathroom door with a fist, "I don't wanna have anything to do with Zim in that way Gaz! You heard me!"

A faint '_Sure, whatever_' came from the other side. Defeated, Dib had to go into her room again. She had started to undress when she _felt_ something on her chest.

"What the… BY NEPTUNE!", she yelped and blushed, closing her eyes and quickly dropping her hands to her sides, "now I have… well, of course I would have them… now I'm a girl… but…"

_Oh, man! This is going to be the most awkward morning of all_, her mind told her. She nodded without opening her eyes, still. After a quick blind dressing, Dib finally opened her eyes and sighed in relief; she scooted out of her bedroom again and checked the bathroom door: open. She went in and looked at herself in a more calmed and thoroughly way, the full body mirror showed she was 5'5" tall – goodbye 6 feet tallness! –, had a nice porcelain skin, and dark hair with a scythe-like ponytail that seem to grow naturally from the nape of her neck. Since her height changed, the clothes she was wearing were very loose.

_It's like trying to wear your big brother's clothes_, she thought. It wasn't that bad, but definitely she could not wear the trench coat and expect it to fit perfectly as always; the black shirt was quite large for her body and the pants were very baggy everywhere. _Well, this will have to do_, she mentally encouraged herself.

Dib went out of the bathroom and to her room; the clock showed it was 7:15am.

"Oh, damn!", she complained, "I'm gonna get late!"

She hurriedly took her backpack, not even caring if all its content was there, sat on the stair banister and slid down. She staggered a bit when she stopped with a little jump, recomposed herself and dashed to the kitchen. Professor Membrane was there making some toast, Gaz was lifting her plate from the table to place it on the sink and go to school; she was on the 10th grade and Dib on the 12th.

_I cannot let dad see me like this_, Dib thought, _but… would he even care?_

"Morning… I'm late for school… I'll escort Gaz… see you, Dad", said she-Dib, took a toast from the table, stuffed her mouth with it, swallowed it and ran out in time before Gaz closed the kitchen door.

"Have a good day on science, son", was the only reply from the Professor to the empty room. _Mhmm…_, he pondered, _Dib's voice was less manly than usual… I'll have to have that father-son talk eventually_.

Professor Membrane shrugged his shoulders and focused on the toaster for the time being.

**x x x x x x**

"I don't need you around, Dib!", Gaz growled while both walked to the nearby high school. She was playing with her videogame as always.

"But we always walk together, Gaz", she-Dib replied, "besides, you always say that".

"But this time I mean it!", the purple-haired girl replied, "I don't want to have anything to do with you, Zim and your perversions".

"I already told you!", the raven-haired girl pouted, "Zim shoot a laser beam at me, it changed me into… well, this. I could have died, you know?"

"It's a shame it didn't happen", said Gaz bluntly. Dib decided that a silent treatment was better than going on with that line of conversation.

They arrived at school and got inside seconds before the last bell that marked the beginning of classes rang; Gaz immediately left Dib's sides without her noticing.

_Great, just great_, Dib was thinking to herself, _now I will definitely have to help Zim fix his cannon if I want to be my old-self again_.

"Ouff!", she huffed when she collided against someone's back and staggered, slamming her own against the lockers line.

"What the…?", the guy she had run into slowly turned as if he had not noticed something had crash against him, "… who's the idiot that…". He didn't complete the phrase and his frown became a pleased smile when he saw the girl.

_Oh, no…_, she-Dib thought, _not him… all but him_.

"Hello, babe", the jock said, "I'm Torque". He rested a hand on the locker next to Dib's face and leaned closer into the girl's personal space. At the beginning, Dib wondered why Torque was so interested on her, but the reality of the situation came back to her pretty soon.

"I haven't seen you here ever, but you seem familiar somehow", the jock continued, "have we met before?"

"No", Dib said and gulped, "I… I'm a… transferred… student. YES! I'm a transferred student".

"Yes, I can see that", Torque said and lifted his free hand and moved it close to her cheek; Dib closed her eyes and moved her head to the side to avoid the touch, she even held her breath.

"Hey, Torque!", one of Smacky's lackeys interrupted, "She looks a bit like Dib, don't you think? Maybe that's why she seems familiar to you somehow". The guy lowered his hand and Dib sighed, relieved.

"Mhmm…", the jock looked at her from head to toe; Dib felt more like she was being undressed by his eyes rather than being compared with his real-self. "Are you, babe?"

"Am I… what?", Dib asked, she was starting to hate the word _babe_.

"Are you related to the Dib, I mean", he elaborated.

"Ah…", she started and her mind interrupted: _Tell him you are! He may ignore you just by knowing you are related to y__ou... Did that made sense?_ Torque waited for her answer without moving an inch. "Yes! Yes, that's right! I'm Dib's third cousin from his mother's second brother from his first marriage".

The 'genealogy' seemed to fry Torque's few brain cells because he just remained standing there, attempting to decipher her relation with the boy. Dib-girl took that chance to slip out of the jock's range and walked hurriedly toward her classroom. The lackey remained with Torque attempting to wake him up and go to the fist class, too.

_That was close_, she thought and went into the classroom. The teacher was writing an assignment for the class while some of the students chatted, threw paper planes or dozed off on their seats. She sat on her usual desk and looked out of the window; the only classes she shared with Zim were P. E. and science in the school lab. Other than that, the lunch hour was the other time she would be able to look for him. _What a day! What else can go wrong today?_

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Thank you Inventor of ZADRF for the titles you suggested, I think we can work something out... Until then, I don't have a Title for this story yet. If you like it so far (or not) I will be glad to read some suggestions for it, the one I like the most will be used as this story's name. Thanks!

A/N1: I decided not to describe Dib and Zim so throughly since I still imagine them as the way I wrote them on Chapter 3. "The silly descriptive chapter" of the story "Help from Above". If you wanna read that part and then come back to this story, feel free to do so.

For Dib's feminine counterpart I imagine her like the images of the following links (you will have to place all the characters together to check them, though).

w w w . s a i l o r l u n a t i c a s . c o m / G a l e r i a s / S a i l o r – S t a r – F i g h t e r / S a i l o r – S t a r – F i g h t e r – S e i y a – K o u – 1 3 . j p g

k a i o u c y t e . f o r t u n e c i t y . c o m / i m g s / p e r f / s f i g h t e r . j p g

Or you can google "sailor star seiya" to get the idea. Thanks!

A/N2:No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	3. Ch 3 Under a new light

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! I hope you like this story I reciently came up with... and bare with me if it is not what you usally expect from a ZADR.

Thanks!

The " **x** " is a page braker. _Italics_ are thoughts or highlighted words.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 3. Under a new light.**

After what Dib thought it was an eternity, the P.E. class was next; all the students headed to the school gym and into the dressing rooms to get changed. She-Dib got into the boys changing room with her sport bag… and realized she had made a fatal mistake.

"Well, well", said one of the guys when he noticed her; luckily for Dib, she hadn't start to undress, "we have a girl in here, boys!"

The rest of the guys immediately surrounded Dib as a pack of wolves… and Zim was nowhere to be seen.

"She wanted to take a sneak-peek at us", said another guy.

"That kinda turns me on", said a third.

"Maybe she wants to know what _gang bang_ means", a fourth replied. The others looked among them with a smirk; they started to close the circle tighter to Dib.

"HEY! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!", the raven-haired girl yelled at the top of her lungs and gripped her sport bag handle tight, "I'm a new student and… and… I got LOST!... and ended up here. That's all!"

The guys stopped their advance and seem to ponder what they have heard.

"Mhmm… what do you think of that, friends?", asked the one that had seen Dib first.

"Well…", said the second, "she definitely wasn't at this school before".

"More so to give her a proper _welcome_", said the third that was almost drooling, "she may be a new student, but she may be lying about being here by '_mistake_'". Dib gave him a nasty look, but the guy didn't flinch.

"I agree with Joe, here", said the fourth, "I have heard of girls that look like our _friend_ here… all sweet, innocent, and '_pure_'… but they are true nymphos with men; they only look for a chance to be humped… and the more, the merrier".

That seemed to be enough for them to justify their following actions, they closed the circle more to Dib and started to chuckle. The one she-Dib had given the nasty look – Joe – was the first to stretch his arms to reach her, but the raven-haired girl smacked her sport bag on his face and hit him on the stomach with her knee pushing him back.

"STAY AWAY, PERVERTS!", she demanded. While Joe bent over and braced himself to gasp for the air he lost from the hit, two of the other boys gave a step forward; they attempted to grab the girl by her arms. The first failed on his attempt and, since he crouched down a bit to trap Dib, she used her elbow to hit the guy on the throat to make him choke… sadly, she couldn't avoid the other guy that came from the other side while she was dealing with the first. He grabbed her wrists and the other two that were waiting for the opportunity grabbed her ankles; Joe was finally catching up his breath and the other one was gasping and coughing.

Dib squirmed to get herself free. "LET ME GO!", she ordered, "DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT **_NO_** MEANS?"

"We know what '_no_' means for girls like you", Joe said and spat to the side, "and this promises to be a very fun ride for everyone". The rest just nodded. The pack started to pull at the girls clothes and Dib heard how it started to rip apart.

"STOP! STOP, PLEASE!", she angrily plead, "I DON'T WANT THIS!"

The only response was the pulling of her clothes more vehemently and the heavy breathing of the aroused guys.

…..

"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?", an authoritative and strong voice asked from the last rows of the dressing room benches and the owner of the voice stared to disperse the group that had closed in to look – and even attempt a chance to participate of – the event; he finally reached the center of all that commotion.

"Torque!", two of the guys exclaimed and immediately let go of the girl. The other three, Joe included, were more reticent to free their prey but the cloth ripping stopped. Dib sniffed softly, since tears were starting to show at the corner of her eyes.

"You three better let the girl go", Torque said with that soft but dangerous tone that showed he expected nothing less. Joe and the other two exchanged some inquisitive looks among them, pondering if they had a chance to win but Torque was like a human version of a bull and all, but Joe, stepped back from Dib.

Joe gripped Dib against him by her waist with one arm, while his other hand held both of her wrists, as if shielding himself with the girl – her back against his chest; she was quite exhausted from all the physical strain from the fight, and the struggling to escape while she was being held by the five guys, that she didn't attempt to free herself at the time. She seemed at the brink of a breakdown.

"What's the problem, Smacky?", Joe attempted to sound sly, "We are just having fun among friends, don't we, _sweetheart_?" When he asked that, he shook his shoulder a bit to make the girl's head rest on it and '_whispered_' to her ear… of course the question was for everyone to hear. Dib made a disgusted frown and looked to the side, away from Joe; she was so tired of yelling and screaming that saying anything else seemed so difficult at the moment.

"See?", Joe continued and started to turn to look back at Torque, "She is not…"

**_SLAM!_**...

While Joe was distracted making a show out of the situation, Smacky's lackey had provided his boss with his football helmet and he had taken the chance to charge against the molester and stamp it square on his face. The impact made Joe fly back and let go of Dib; Torque caught the girl, whose legs had no strength left to keep her standing, and wrapped her against his chest with his free arm. Joe fell almost knocked out on the floor.

"Now listen!", Torque growled as if he were more a beast than a man; all the dressing room remained in absolute silence, "Since this girl is a new comer I will be the first one to _greet_ her here!… If you know what I mean". He smirked but he also seemed to be showing his teeth as a predator to make that point clear; the guys closer to him chuckled, some exchanged concealed sights, and some nudges and smirks were shared among them. More or less, everyone accepted that this new girl was going to be Torque's play-toy until he decided he was tired of her.

_I came out of a horrible situation_, thought the tired and stressed Dib, _to fall in a worst one_. She ordered her arms to push herself away from the jock, but they felt heavier than boulders; it seemed as if her body had entered in a kind of partial unconsciousness for all the exert.

"Now you all get out of here to the P. E. class or the coach is going to come in here and he will blow out everything!", he kept bossing the guys, "I'll show this girl the meaning of being with a real man".

Since none was going to oppose Torque after seeing how Joe ended, two boys took the injured out and toward the infirmary; the rest, just left.

_Please! Don't leave me alone with him!_, Dib's mind cried, _Please… someone help me…_

"Nnnggg…", she-Dib muttered and attempted to free herself from Torque's embrace. The guy turned around to make sure they were, absolutely, left alone.

"Easy, now…", he answered to Dib's pitiful attempt of complain, "…you are safe. I'll just help you sit, ok?" Smackey took the girl to the closest bench and sat her on it. She immediately tried to scoot away from him but a light dizziness came over her and just rested her hands on the bench and closed her eyes; Torque went to pick up her sport bag that had been thrown aside on the commotion. He picked it up and returned it to Dib-girl.

"I'll get you something to drink, ok?", the jock told her as if speaking to a little child. Dib embraced her bag and curled around it while sitting on the bench. She let out a soft painful moan, finally all the stress from what could have happened to her IF Torque hadn't been there started to sink on her. Torque sat a few inches from her on the same bench, he knew he was no genius but he was sure the girl didn't want a guy to touch her at that moment.

"Hey! Don't worry…", he said to comfort her, "… those guys aren't going to bother you anymore".

"No…", she-Dib said with a chocked voice, "… but you are going to finish what they didn't, don't you? And I… I…" She sobbed and sniffed a bit.

"Rest assured that I won't touch you", Torque said and looked at her, he didn't like to be around a girl when she was emotional but in this case he had to make an exception. Dib seemed to relax and rubbed the back of her hand on her wet cheeks to take the rolling tears away.

"How can I know it's true?", she asked still with a lump on her throat.

"Because I have a little sister", he answered and looked at her, "she is five years younger than me… she can be a pest sometimes… but I know I wouldn't forgive the bastard that dare to lay a hand on her to harm her in any way".

"I… didn't know", Dib-girl replied.

"Of course you don't…", Torque said, "… you are a new student, you don't know anyone at this school".

Dib realized she had talked as her real-self, as the boy that knew Torque since they were on the 5th grade; of course they never got along or became friends so, some aspects of Torque's life was unknown to Dib.

"Besides", Torque said, thinking she felt bad for not knowing a girl she had never met before, "she is on a different school, a girls' school".

"Oh…", was Dib only answer. She looked at Torque and the only thing she could think of saying was: "Thank you… for stopping them".

"That's ok", the boy said, "after all, you are Dib's cousin, don't you?" He looked at her intently.

She-Dib blushed, she felt that Torque's eyes were attempting to look inside of her own; she averted her face to the other side.

"And what if I am?", she answered with a question, "what difference does it make?"

"None", he replied, "I would have helped you even if you weren't related to the Dib… but I'll just tell you that I owned him a favor".

"Huh?", the girl muttered, "How come?"

"Well…", the boy started and he hesitated before deciding how much could he tell her, "… he helped me improve my grades on math on the 7th grade. He knew I needed help but I wasn't gonna ask anyone for it... and then, just one day, he came to me and asked me if we could compare notes… of course I knew he didn't need to do that, and I was going to tell him '_screw someone else_', but I also understood that he was offering me his help without making me feel like I was dumb or stupid… I think that was the first and only time I got a decent score on math… he taught me well, but I just don't like them. Also, that was the only time I had the chance to know him as a person, even if only a bit".

"I remember that…", Dib-girl said and when Torque lifted a brow, puzzled, she added, "I mean… I remember a time when Dib told me about a boy he had as a math partner".

"Yeah?", the boy seemed intrigued, "what did he told you?"

"Nothing, really", she said and looked at him, "he just told me his partner was like a sponge, that he had a quick mind for mathematical solutions but that he was more interested on sports than books".

"A sponge…", Torque said, nostalgically, "… typical, idealistic Dib… he was always going around saying he was going to protect us from an invading menace… that he would bring justice and peace; he was always trying to play the helper and protector role, but you know what?"

"Mhmm?", Dib-girl muttered.

"He was the one that never wanted to admit he needed protection sometimes… just like you", he stated and looked at her tenderly; she-Dib blushed again.

At that moment the bell rang, signaling the end of the P.E. class. Torque stood up and looked at her with a more relaxed expression. "You better get out of here before all the other guys come", he said.

"Y… Yes", she said and took her sport bag; she headed to the exit cautiously.

"Oh! And take this…", the boy told her while taking off his sport jacket and throwing it to her, "… it's large enough to cover your clothes until you have the chance to get changed at home... rest assured that they will not bother you after I have told them that you are my property; but this will be just pretend, ok? I have a reputation to keep".

"Uuummmmm…", Dib-girl thought and catched the jacket, "O.K. I… think I can play along… but don't you even dare to try anything funny". She warned him.

"I will try not to", he said and decided to take the risk, "but with a hot babe like you, how can I resist?"

Dib's face turned red again, she wasn't sure if she should feel offended or flattered.

"And what's your name, babe?", Torque said to break the awkward moment, "Should I just call you '_Dib's cousin_'?"

"No… I", _Damn! I haven't even thought of a name_, Dib-girl thought, _a name…_, "call me Deb!" After saying those last words she left as stealthy as she could.

"Dib and Deb", Torque said to himself, "what a pair…"

**X X X X X X X X X X**

By the way, I don't have a Title for this story yet. If you like it so far (or not) I will be glad to read some suggestions for it, the one I like the most will be used as this story's name. This chapter is the last one to drop your ideas. Thanks!

A/N: The title of this Chapter was inspired by the titles offered by "Inventor of ZADRF"; I liked both of your suggestions and I would like to fuse them in one single title for the main story... also, I think girsteehee's suggestion can fit, too... but I'm still working with the merge. However, I hope that you keep comming up with other titles after reading this third chapter. Thank you!

A/N2: I'm sorry if, so far, this doesn't look like a ZADR story... when I started writting this chapter I had originally thought of Zim rescuing the girl but, lets face it, Zim is not exactly the 'caring' type of character. However, I thought of Torque instead because I liked him, too, from Invader Zim (after Dib and Zim) and I always wondered about the posibility of him beeing seen as the typical school jock but, if known better, he could surprise anyone with his noble and pleasant nature. And so, this chapter was born... bear a bit more, I know this story has ZADR (somewhere), it just needs to flow naturally (LOL).

A/N3: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	4. Ch 4 Halloween Special

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! I hope you like this story I reciently came up with... and bare with me if it is not what you usally expect from a ZADR.

Thanks!

The " **x** " is a page braker. _Italics_ are thoughts or highlighted words.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 4. Halloween Special**

"Uff!", sighed _Deb_, relieved, while walking to the lab, "That was a close call. I should be more careful next time… geez! I never thought guys could be so primitive… it makes me wonder if all this is worth saving". She looked at her shoulder, covered by Torque's red jacket, and her worried sight grew soft. _Of course is worth saving_, the Dib in her head told her – even if it was not usual for him to say it –, _who could have know that Torque remembered that time on 7__th__ grade and still be grateful for that?_

Since Deb was walking without looking where she was going, she bumped against someone… again.

_EEEKK!_...

Ouch!...

Both girls fell to the floor, one over the other, forming and X with their overlapped bodies; Deb fell on top.

_Great!_, the raven-haired girl thought, _Am I going to run into trouble all day, today?_

"Excuse me!", yelped the girl that was down her, "can you stand, now? You are heavy!"

"Oh… Sorry, sorry!", said Deb and stood up; she helped the other girl stand, "Are you hurt?"

"Nah! I'm fine", the pink-haired girl said, "I was walking without looking… that's why I always end ramming against people. Clumsy me!"

Deb was shocked for the girl's hair color that she didn't really listen to her. "Umm…", she muttered. The girl immediately knew what the other girl was thinking.

"Oh… this?", she said and blew a lock of pink hair out of her face, "I am a genetic experiment"

"WHAT?", Deb chocked.

"Hahahahaha… nah! I'm not!, the girl giggled, "it's just a normal hair coloring gone bad. Now its pink and it seems it will last like that for around 3 months… but I don't see it as something terrible, today is Halloween and I'm organizing a party at my house, and this pink hair is great for a costume I want of the character of Dragon Pink!"

"I see…", Deb had seen a couple of chapters of that anime of said character, "… don't you think is a bit dangerous to be dressed like that if you are going to invite boys?"

"Nah! Pink-haired cat girl is a winning match everywhere: boys love it!", she said. Deb thought, _that's why I would worry_. "Besides", the girl went on, "my boyfriend is going to be characterizing Santa, he is Pink's hero".

"Oh… ok", Deb said.

"Here!", the girl gave Deb a few of her fliers-invitations with the phrase _**Halloween Costume Party!**_, "I think you should go, if you don't have a costume yet I can help you get one".

"Thank's but…", the raven-haired girl said, "… I'm not the partying type of girl".

"If you are worried about going alone, you can bring your boyfriend along", the pink-haired girl said, "just don't sneak into a room to get an _alone time_ and everything will be fine".

"Don't worry", Deb said, "I don't have a boyfriend".

"So… that school red jacket is your brother's?", the girl asked while looking at the cloth. Deb blushed a bit.

"I can help you spread your invitations", Deb said to change the topic, "but I cannot guarantee I'll go, ok?"

"Oh, thank you! Em…", the girl realized she had been talking with a perfect stranger; she swung left and right awkwardly.

"Deb", the black-haired girl said.

"Sigrid", the other replied.

"Nice to meet you", both said at the same time and giggled.

"Well, Debby", Sigrid said and handled some more fliers to her, "Thank you for helping me with the invitations… and I really hope you can come along, boyfriend or not". The pink-haired girl smiled mischievously.

"No problem", Deb replied, "I'll help you gladly… and I may drop by, but don't hope too much". She decided to ignore the _boyfriend_ part.

"Ok", Sigrid said, "See ya'round!". She left to the opposite way Deb was going.

**x x x x x x**

Deb's luck was improving when she finally arrived to the lab, the teacher wasn't there and the class was creating experiments of their own. _That will end bad_, her mind stated; she nodded. Her eyes were looking for the green invader she hadn't had the chance to locate on the P. E. class. Zim was seating on the stool of the lab table closest to the door, Deb walked toward him.

"Hello, Zim", she said in a grim voice, "do you remember me?"

The irken looked at her, uninterested, and finally said: "Of course not!"

"Maybe this will refresh your memories…", she said threatening, "… _space boy_". Zim's eyes perked a bit, the only one that would dare to call him like that was…

"… Dib-worm?"

Deb nodded. Zim chuckled evilly.

"I see… I was disappointed that my cannon had not killed you, but I think this is something I can use to my advantage… yesss", the invader replied with certain pride.

"Oh, I think not… green menace", Deb said and slammed the palms of her hands on the lab's table, "I will make everyone know the truth about you". _If I want him to help me recover my old body_, the Dib in her mind told her, _he needs to see this new body as a menace_.

"Oh, yeah!", Zim said, very confident, "I don't think a little girl like you can stop me now".

"Ok… I warned you", Deb smiled sweetly. Zim frowned; he didn't like the girl confident attitude. She showed him one of the fliers. "I'm going to invite everyone in this lab to a Halloween party… at your house"

"You wouldn't dare…", the alien growled and his eyes closed into slits.

"That's what you think?", Deb said triumphantly, "Let me show you". The girl turned around to walk away from the irken invader and lifted her hand with the flier over her head.

"PARTY EV…"

She had no chance to make her announcement due to Zim grabbing the wrist of her free hand and taking her out of the lab. The alien dragged her a few steps away from there and found a concealed alcove where none would bother them.

"Are you crazy, Dib-stink?", Zim growled, "Taking the whole school to Zim's base? What were you trying to prove?"

"I'm proving that, with this new weapon you gave me", Deb said and smiled victorious, "I can move the masses at my will".

Zim seemed to process that statement and looked at the Dib's new body. _Mhmm… maybe this isn't going to work as I thought_, the invader pondered to himself.

"If you want me not to take all the school to your base, Zim", the girl's voice brought the invader back to reality, "You will have to come with me to this Halloween party… we will talk, then". She handed him the flier. The alien read it and discovered that the address on the paper wasn't his.

"And what if I don't go", he threatened.

"If you don't go to the party…", Deb said as a prophet, "… the party will come to you". She used all the confidence she could muster. Zim got caught on the bluff because he growled and mumbled and then he said: _fine_.

"Fine", said Deb chirping, "see you there, Zimmy… and don't you dare disappoint me". Those last words she said them in a menacing tone. Zim growled and walked away.

**x x x x x x**

"I'm so glad you came with me to look for our costumes together", Sigrid said to Deb while they got in the store, "This is the biggest costume store of all… and you know what", she said confidentially to Deb in a whisper, "It only opens for three days, when Halloween is near. After that, you don't find the store anywhere anymore".

"A ghost store", Deb said back to Sigrid in a mysterious tone, "Maybe you have to pay the costume with your soul…"

"That would be really creepy", the pink-haired girl said, "it gives me goosebumps just to think about it".

Sigrid found her costume immediately since she knew what she was going to wear. Deb, on the other hand, didn't have the slightest idea of what to wear. For her, all the ladies costumes seemed very sluty: _Why do girls wear costumes like this?_

"Here!", Sigrid told Deb while she packed her arms with a pile of costumes, "Try them on!"

Deb sighed and went to the dressing room. She came out a moment later wearing a Cleopatra costume.

"Mhmm…", the pink-haired girl contemplated the new look, "Nah! Doesn't fit you. Try another".

Deb went and came, this time, with a cat woman costume.

"We can both be cats", said Sigrid. Deb shook her head and went into the dressing room to change… she came back with a werewolf costume.

"I like it!", her voice came muffled from the mask, "I think is very complete".

"Maybe too much", complained Sigrid, "I cannot tell you are a girl".

"Even better!", replied Deb triumphantly.

"Dddeeeeebb…", started to warn her the pink-haired girl.

"Ok, ok… geez! I'll get changed", whinnied Deb. She came moments later with a gothic vampire costume: platform lace-up knee boots with chains and straps, black webbed pantyhose, a black miniskirt – that Deb keep trying to make larger by pulling it down with both hands –, a dark purple, lacey corset that framed her curves even more than she had liked – leaving her shoulders and neck uncovered; making her pale skin even more noticeable –, black webbed arm-long gauntlets, and a black velvet chocker with a silver bat on it.

"It's gorgeous!", Sigrid exclaimed, "and it makes your… mhmm… attributes stand out!"

"That's exactly what I don't want!", Deb said not knowing how to cover herself with only her two arms and hands, "I rather not to stand out!"

**x x x x x x**

A grumpy goth vampire girl was seating on a couch with a frown on her face, arms and legs crossed.

"C'mon, Deb!", _Pink_ said, "you look great! I know you have to get in character, but I don't want your gloom mood mess the party".

"Ha ha ha", the goth chick let out a fake laugh, "then you should have let me get the werewolf costume as I wanted".

"But that's not even a girl costume!", Pink replied, "I don't even know how I could have mixed it with the other ones".

"Wathever…", was Deb short comment. A boy, looking like a medieval knight, with spiky hair joined the girls and hugged Pink.

"Hi, kitty!", he said and kissed the girl forehead, "you look amazing!"

"Thanks, Rick", Pink said, "I mean… Santa. You look very handsome, too". She giggled.

"Meh", muttered Deb under her breath.

"Ahd who's your friend?", the boy asked.

"Oh, she is Deb", Pink answered, "Deb, he's my boyfriend Rick".

"Nice to meet you", the goth vampress said, "nice costume".

"Not as nice as yours", he said; Pink stabbed his boyfriend side with an elbow. "Uff!"

"Why don't you, lovebirds, go and merge with your guests and have fun?", Deb suggested, "I'll be here a bit more".

"Oh… ok", Pink said, "Let's go Santa, Goth-girl will tag later". She pulled her boyfriend to the hall where the party was being held. Some furniture was taken out of the room to get more space, and Deb had decided to use the two-seat couch that was out to seat away from the noisy party.

Deb was waiting for Zim to show up and was starting to worry that he was not going to arrive when she felt someone sat by her side. _Not another moron, please_, she silently complained.

"Well, well… I thought you were part of the furniture with all those webs on your clothes", a raspy voice and familiar cackle said to the girl. She turned around.

"So nice of you to drop by, Zimmy", Deb said with a hypocrite tone, "I wouldn't have let you miss this party for anything". The irken growled.

"Well, Dib-worm, let's get down to business", the invader said not to gently, "which are your demands?"

"I'm not demanding anything, Zimmy", the girl said in a sweet tone this time, "I think I can make people listen to me with this weapon you gave me... as I told you before". She completed her speech with a swift hand movement that followed the curves of her body. The irken grinded his teeth together.

"And what if I undo what has been done?", Zim threatened.

"I know you can't do that, Zimmy", Deb said, "I broke your precious machine, don't you remember?"

"ARGH!", the irken grumbled, irritated, "How can I forget? I should have shred you on the spot!"

"And I'm very sure that it will take you a lot of time to fix it", the goth girl went on, "_time_ I will use to wake up my fellow students' minds to see the real you".

"Not if I silence you first", the irken growled menacing and Deb felt a sting on her neck. While the invader was distracting her with the conversation he had injected a serum with a small syringe hidden in his black gloves. The girl vision started to become blurry and she stumblingly stood from the couch.

"W-what… w-what did you… inj…", she couldn't finish her question, she felt herself falling and darkness swallowed her.

Zim caught the unconscious girl and escaped with her on his arms; the spider legs swiftly took both of them away from Sigrid's house and into the night.

"You will curse the day you decided to threaten me, Dib-stink", the irken said and laughed evilly.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE! It is my favorite time of the year and I thought I should do something related to it. What will happen to Dib now that Zim has traped him? Oh, no! (LOL).

For the next chapter I promise this story will have a name. Thanks for reading!

A/N3: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	5. Ch 5 Things are not always what they see

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! It's been a while since I posted anything at all. I'm really sorry for taking so long, but I had (and still have) a bad case of writers-block... still, bare with me if it is not what you usally expect from a ZADR.

Thanks!

The " **x** " is a page braker. _Italics_ are thoughts.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 5. Things are not always what they seem.**

Deb's eyes fluttered open after who knows how long; her vision was focusing and she started to distinguish the shapes around her. When she got confident enough to sit and look where she was, she found herself in one of the prisoner cells of Zim's underground lab.

_This day just gets better and better, doesn't it?_, she thought, _Now, I'm Zim's prisoner_.

The cell had just a few things: an old bed, a sink, and in the farthest corner something that looked like a latrine_. I rather starve than have to use it_.

When she was scheming a plan to get away, some clanking hurried steps started to approach her confinement. Gir's shadow was projected into the room; the little SIR unit stood there looking through the bars. Deb got close to it, cautiously.

"Hello, Gir", she said with her more conciliatory tone of voice, "You know who I am, don't you?"

The robot stood there, looking at the human and then shrieked: "MONKEY!"

"No, Gir, I'm not a monkey", the girl said, "I am… well, I used to be Dib".

"Mr. Big Head!", the SIR unit exclaimed and giggled.

Deb nodded.

"You have been a bad boy, Mr. Big Head", Gir said with a stern tone of voice the human hadn't heard before. "You made masta cry".

"What?", Dib exclaimed (there was no reason to conceal his name as Deb in Zim's base). "I did not such thing! He is the one that has been bad with me! He turned me into a GIRL! And then he injected me something… and… and…"

Dib's rant stopped when he saw Gir shake its head sad and sagely, as if it knew more of everything than anyone thought it knew.

"What happened to Zim, Gir?", Dib's concern was somehow genuine, "What did I do to make him cry?"

The SIR unit whimpered a bit and then it cried out loud: "YOU STOPPED PLAYING WITH HIM!"

Dib placed her hands on her ears… the little robot had no lungs, but hell he could scream.

"Gir…", Dib tried to explain once the robot seem to calm down, "your master doesn't play… he wants to destroy mankind… and I have to stop him… save my family and friends, even if they don't know what I try to do for them". The girl sighed in frustration whit that last piece of information.

"No… he likes you", Gir said quite confident, "he makes toys to play with you… he always say: 'Dib-stink will like this' or 'Dib-worm will be surprised with my last invention'. He just wants to have fun with his bestest friend".

"Gir… Zim's toys are not for playing, every one of them he has used to try to harm me or the others. This is not a game, Gir. Do you understand?", Dib attempted to reason with the robot.

"But masta likes you!", Gir said, "when you is not around he gets bored… specially after the tallest doesn't visit him anymore". Gir's antenna withered down with that last phrase.

Dib was going to request the little SIR unit to elaborate more about those interrupted visits but Zim's voice echoed on the hallway to the cell.

"GIR! Where are you? I don't want you around the Dib-stink, do you understand? He is in solitary confinement".

"Okey-dokey!", the robot chirped and ran away, giggling and waving his arms. Dib was left alone and he thought about what the SIR unit told him. His train of thought was interrupted by the creak of the cell door, he looked up and Zim's silhouette was framed on the cell doorframe. The human just remained seated on the bed and looked at Zim casually.

"Afraid, Dib-stink?", the irken hissed.

"No", was her only reply. The invader seemed to be taken aback and his spider legs came out of the pack. He advanced to Dib in a menacing way.

"Well…", Zim said attempting to win more ground, "… you should be. After I finish with you… you will cry for a fast, painless death".

"Ok".

"What?", Zim seemed even more surprised with that second answer; the Dib-stink was usually easier to scare with threats. The invader gripped the collar of the girl shirt and lifted her up, making the spider legs to rise completely to leave the body dangle in front of him. Dib grunted.

"Are you deaf?", the invader hissed on the girl's face, "I'm telling you I'm going to torture you and kill you!"

"I know", the girl replied, "I heard you the first time".

"So?", the Irken asked, puzzled.

"If that is an accomplishment to you, if that is what you have to do…", Dib said, "…then it's ok".

The invader scanned the human face in search of a bluff, a threat… anything… but the girl wasn't trying to outsmart him. The Irken let his prey fall and the girl fell on her rear with an _uff!_

"Gir told you, didn't it?", Zim hissed in annoyance.

Dib said nothing; she remained seated on the floor looking at him.

"It did…", Zim said almost in a zombie-like state, "… and you feel sorry for Zim… you think I'm a pitiful invader… that I should receive charity from others because my race rejected me, don't you?"

His eyes looked at Dib, but the girl knew they weren't looking at her, there were looking past her and were gazing in some kind of insane, dark void. None of Zim's looks had frightened her like this ever.

"Zim…", she tried to call the irken out of that passive enragement.

"I'm no weakling, Dib-stink…", the invader kept talking but he wasn't really speaking to Dib, and that wasn't good, "… I will enslave all your kind… I will show the Tallest how powerful I can be… I won't be look down with a mocking smile or condescending eyes ever".

The spider legs made their master advance to the human in a wobbly, unnatural way… as if Zim were no longer himself, but a puppet handled by a drunk puppeteer. Dib crawled backward with hands and heels.

"Zim… I have never thought you are pitiful", she said with an unsteady voice. The irken's antennas perked up… but they flattened again against his skull. Dib tried to think of other things to say to Zim in order to make him get out of that freaking state he was in. "In fact, I have always thought that you are a formidable foe". The spider legs stopped.

"Really?", the alien asked with a twisted smile. Dib only nodded and cleared her throat.

"Of course!", she said trying to give to her voice a more animated tone, "remember that time you turned me into bologna?"

"Yesss… I remember", the irken chuckled but then his face shaded again, "but I became one, too".

"Well…", Dib said, "… yes, yes you did".

The spider legs swung their master forth again.

"But I knew you were a worthy opponent since that time my dad helped us to be back to normal… if I wouldn't have cared, I would have let you like that", Dib kept going; she had gotten herself on the bunk bed, "Do you remember that Halloween when a bunch of horrible monsters wanted to get to this world through my head?"

"Yesss…", he said and growled, "what about it?". Zim remained still close to the bunk bed.

"Well, you almost won that time", the girl said cautiously watching the spider legs, "You almost made me stay there for the monsters to use me to escape their world. I thought I was a goner for sure!"

"I'm impressive of course", the spider legs retracted to the pack and Zim looked to Dib, "I have spared your life just for my amusement".

"Err…", the raven-haired girl sighed and shrugged her shoulders: _Whatever…_, "… yeah… right".

Zim sat, unwittingly, next to Dib on the bunk bed.

"Why then…", he said as if talking to himself, "… the tallest don't acknowledge me?"

Dib remained in silence; Zim was gloomy… but not dementedly gloomy as before.

"I acknowledge you, Zim", the girl said and for a moment she extended her hand to pat the alien shoulder, but thought it better and lowered it to her lap. The irken nodded, warily, as if he had aged millennia since his arrival to Earth… and for a split second, Dib saw a very worn-out and tired invader.

_Zim_, he thought, _I really, really acknowledge you… I'm sorry for not realizing sooner how you were really feeling._

Both remained in the cell for a while, letting the silence make the conversation between them.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Well, this story finally has a name... I'm somewhat not convinced with it, but I think it suits the story for the time being. Anyway, thank you so much to the persons that shared their ideas (I really appreciate it). Also, I'm sorry for taking so long to update... I liked your encouraging words. I hope I don't disappoint you at some point ^_^'.

The story will be posted quite randomly, since I still am not at my full writer-potential. Sorry! -_-'.

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	6. Ch 6 If I take my eyes off you

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! It's been a while since I posted anything at all.

I still have a bad case of writers-block but I owed you guys at least another release before my brain melted... still, bear with me if it is not what you usally expect from a ZADR.

Thanks!

The " **o** " is a memory/flashback w/Italicks. Outside de " **o** ", _Italics_ are thoughts.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 6. If I take my eyes off you for a moment, you…**

It was Monday, the Halloween Party had been on Saturday, and Deb was poking the cafeteria food with her fork at lunch. She seemed spaced-out, recounting the events of the weekend after being kidnapped by Zim.

**o o o o o**

_"Masta likes you!", Gir said, "when you is not around he gets bored… specially after the tallest doesn't visit him anymore"…_

_"Afraid, Dib-stink?", the irken hissed, "… you should be. After I finish with you… you will cry for a fast, painless death"…_

"… _you think I'm a pitiful invader… that I should receive charity from others because my race rejected me…"_

**o o o o o**

_Back then_, Dib thought, _I was afraid of Zim vacant stare, of the somehow unsteadily swinging of his spider legs while they carried him towards me, of that darkness that wrapped his mind at that time… No, that's not right… I wasn't afraid OF him… I was afraid FOR him… I didn't know he could be so fragile for being a selfish, block-head, full of himself._

She smiled a bit finding that description of Zim funny.

"..be"

"Uh?", she muttered and came out of her day dreaming.

"Earth to Deb-babe!", repeated the jock waving a hand in front of the girl's face.

"I came back already!", she said in an annoyed way – even though she didn't mean it –, "What do you want, Torque?"

"Hey! That's no way of talking to the boss, girly", said one of Smackey's lackeys, "You are his woman, remember?"

Deb grunted and gave Torque a disbelieving, cocky look; he grinned a bit.

"Be easy with'er", the jock said to his minion, "I bet she is upset 'cause she was havin' a nice daydream 'bout me and she was pulled out o'it". He clicked his tongue to the lacky in a _"you know what I mean"_ way.

"Oh…", said the lacky not really getting the message, "… ooooohhh". He said that with a naughtier undertone when Torque clicked his tongue.

"After all", Torque said, "She hasn't been 'round me long 'nough, but that'll change soon". He gave his lackey a confident grin. "Now leave, I'm gonna give'er some quality time". The minion winked an eye to Deb and left without hesitation.

Deb looked at Torque with a sour face, lips crocked a bit to show her displeasure. He sat in front of her, nonetheless.

"Take it easy, babe… I mean, Deb", he corrected, "Remember this is all pretend".

"Well, congratulations", she-Dib said, "they should give you the Best Male Actor award". _Now that I think of it_, the girl thought, _how much can I 'really' trust this guy?_

"I mean it, Deb", Torque tried to appease the girl suspicions, "I won't hurt you… nor any other girl in this school. I know I don't look like it, but I'm very reliable".

"Aha…", she muttered.

"Fine, take it as you wish", the jock said, "but I'm glad you came today. I was worried about you".

"Eh?", she-Dib was surprised, "worried about me? Why?"

"Well…", Torque started, "I went to the Halloween Party expecting to see you there… that girl… her name is… umhm… the one with the leopard bikini an pink hair".

"Sigrid…" Deb said, "her name's Sigrid".

"Yeah, her, Sigrid", Smackey continued, "she told me you were there, sulking and being grumpy… then she lead me to the sofa you were seating, but you weren't there… and she said you hadn't left that spot for a while".

"I see", replied the girl, "I could have gone home, you know… nothing to really be worried about"

"I know…", Torque said, "…but still, I felt uneasy… anyway, I'm really happy and relieved to see you here safe and sound. I really am".

"Well… thanks… I guess", she-Dib said, not sure what else the jock expected of her. He nodded and stood up to leave.

"OK, good to know everything is fine with you", he said and looked at her face so intently that the girl felt a warm blush run to her cheeks. "C'ya!" Torque was turning his back to her in order to leave.

"Yo, Torque!", she said and then realized she had tried to imitate the way the other guys talked to him; Dib decided it didn't suit him, for he wasn't a closer person to the other guy, "I mean… wait… I have something to give you. Come with me, it's in my locker".

Torque gave him a faint smile and nodded. He followed the girl out of the school cafeteria and to the locker hall. As soon as they sauntered out, he embraced Deb by her shoulders; she jumped a bit for the contact.

"What are you doing?", she whispered to him.

"Walking down the hall with my girl", he said, "Endure for a while, please".

Deb wasn't sure if it was because Torque had said _'please'_, or because she wanted to believe that was the guy way of protecting her from the other guys, or because she had never been the one being protected before that she allowed him to keep the gesture the way it was.

_Things sure are different for girls than for guys_, her mind thought, _but I wonder if girls really have it this easy, though_. She remembered her assault in the boys changing room and shivered a bit; Torque looked down to the girl (since he was way taller) and squeezed her shoulder with the hand he had around them. Deb eyes opened wide in surprise to that gentle, reassuring touch and she looked up to him.

"I'm here to protect you", Torque said in a low voice, just for her to hear, "I mean it". She blushed some and nodded, she looked to the front to keep walking but she thought she could see the guy by the corner of her eye still watching and studying her face.

"We're here", she said with a relived sigh. She stood in front of her locker…

"Dib's locker?", asked Torque, "why would you have his locker?"

"Erm…", she said, "because he lent it to me… yes! That's it! He let me borrow it for a while, while… erhm… while I get one!" The last sentence (that should have been something like: "Yes, when I arrived there were no lockers available for me to take one and he offered to share his with me!")came out as a spur of words that Torque tilted his head in order to process what he had heard and then he started to laugh heartily. The girl looked at him wondering if she had broken something inside his brain.

He removed the arm he had around her shoulders to ruffle the girls hair. "You are a funny one", he said, "I'm really starting to like you".

_What's that supposed to mean?_, her mind told her.

"Anyway", he said getting back on track; he placed his arms inside his jeans pockets, "wha's that thing you have fo' me, Deb-babe?"

She-Deb felt a bit disappointed when Torque took his arm away from her, but she couldn't pinpoint why… and when she heard him change his way of speech she wondered why… and then she understood. There was a little crowd of students in the hall, either minding their own business, or pretending they were minding their own business while at the same time watched them both.

_So, that's it! He is acting the way others expect him to act_, she thought, _but then… which is Torque's true behavior?_

She shook her head and opened the locker, taking out the jocks jacket.

"Thank you for…"

"… yes, yes… I 'now babe!", Smackey said out loud for everyone to hear, "I 'now you are grateful with me fo' lettin' you wash it fo' me. You did fine".

Deb blushed, embarrassed. _He can be more subtle with his charade, if that's what it is, instead of having everyone noticing us!_

"No problem, I…"

"Yeah! I know, babe", the jock said in the same loud voice, "you want some ol' sugar love". He placed the jacket on his right shoulder and then he entrapped the girl between his body and the lockers; placing his palms on their surface. Since she was shorter he leaned a bit…

Somewhere in the hall, Deb thought she heard and angry hiss.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Well, this story finally has a name... I'm somewhat not convinced with it, but I think it suits the story for the time being. Anyway, thank you so much to the persons that shared their ideas (I really appreciate it).

Again, this chapter is a "Thank you for your patience" chapter... but I'm really sorry it had no ZADR in it; still, I think I'm steadily getting at it. Bear with me! (By the way, I should knock myself to death for making a silly typo mistake with the word "bear" and "bare". LOL. Thanks for not pointing my stupidity, I love you! *still I feel like a fool*)

The story will be posted quite randomly, since I still am not at my full writer-potential. Sorry! -_-'.

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	7. Ch 7 Show your true self

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! It's been a while since I posted anything at all.

Thanks to all the loyal readers, I have here another chap for this story. It was sponsored by: Captor of the Crazies & Inventor of ZADRF (thanks for not letting me stay dull for long). Also, I'm a bit awkward making Zim all "soft and wiggly with love" (LOL), but maybe I can make him show some lurv according to his personality... still, bear with me if it is not what you usally expect from a ZADR.

Thanks!

The " **o** " is a memory/flashback w/Italicks; inside the " **o** ", the thoughts are **bold** and normal. Outside de " **o** ", _Italics_ are thoughts.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 7. Show your true self.**

Dib walked back home still thinking about Zim and his weekend kiddnaping…

**o o o o o**

_Both remained in the cell for a while, letting the silence make the conversation between them. Finally, Dib spoke._

"_Zim"_

"…_.."_

"_Zim"_

"_What do you want, human?"_

"_Help you"._

"_Uh?"_

"_I mean… help you fix the machine I broke"._

"_So you can go back to being a male of the species?"_

"_Well, yeah"._

"…_.."_

"_Hey, don't take it as if it's something bad! Don't you want me to go back to how I was so none pays attention to me anymore?"_

"…_.."_

"_Besides, I didn't mean it when I said that, with this body, I was going to turn the planet against you. Really, Zim, I was joking back then"._

"…_.."_

"_Hey, Zim…"_

"_What?..."_

"_I will promise you something that will make you stay at ease"._

"_Really?", the irken replied sarcastically._

"_Yes. I promise you I'll help you fix your machine but, if you don't want to lend it to me to go back to my old body… I'll… I…", Dib gulped, "I will not attempt to snach it from you and I will keep the appearance I have right now"_

"_Isn't that an advantage for you, worm-baby?"_

"…_.."_

"…_.."_

"…_.."_

"… _I will think about it"._

"_Uh?"_

"_I said I will think about lending you my machine to go back to '_normal_'… maybe I can make _it_ depend on how a good worker you are for Zim, mhmm?"_

**Zim, you jerk!**_, Dib thought. "….."_

"_NOW GET OUT OF THE CAGE BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND AND KEEP YOU HERE TO ROOT!"_

"_Eep!" Dib started to climb down the bunk bed when Zim grabbed his wrist. The girl looked at the alien._

"_You are mine, Dib", the invader said, "Don't you forget"._

**What's with that now?**_, the raven-haired girl thought and tilted her head._

"_GO!", Zim let her wrist go in a roughly manner. Dib flinched but he started to walk away, slowly at the beginning and then he sprang toward the cell doorframe and up to the corridor he had seen Gir go._

_Dib didn't realized he ran all the way to his home until he stopped and panted, recovering his breath._

**o o o o o**

"Zim, you block-head!", Deb ranted for herself, "Why do you have to be such a moron?"

She stopped at her house, opened the door and went in.

"I'M HOME!", she yelled at the top of her lungs but none answered, either none was home or they didn't care. _Oh, well…_

She-Dib went up the stairs to her room and when she entered she let the backpack fall to the ground with a thud. The girl saw, at the corner of her eye, something swinging at her window and turned her head to take a better look… Zim was crawling into the room.

"Zim!", she yelled, "what're you doing here?"

The invader dusted himself off, once he stepped in the room, and looked at Dib.

"I came to see how my worker was doing", he said slyly, "and for what I saw earlier… It seems you are doing pretty well!" The irken snapped at Dib.

"What are you talking about, Zim?", Dib asked. He didn't really know why the alien was in such a bad mood.

"Oh, now you play innocent!", said Zim, "after the DOA that you and that Torque-worm were showing to all the others!"

"Hey!", the girl replied, defending herself, "It was Torque's idea to make a fuss out of that! I was just returning the jacket he lent me and…"

"HE… LENT… YOU… HIS JACKET!", the irken growled, angrly.

"Well… yes", Dib said, trying to keep his cool, "my clothes were torn apart by some nasty guys in the boys changing room last week!". Suddenly, Dib felt angry, and – somehow – he decided to lash it out on Zim. _He has no right to be angry at me!_, he told himself, _I went looking for him… and he wasn't even there!. If Torque hadn't come to my rescue, then… they… I…_

The girl looked murderously at the alien. "The one that should be angry is me! WHERE WERE YOU WHILE I WAS BEING HELD BY THOSE BASTARDS?"

Zim didn't reply. He was looking at Dib as if he had sprouted a second head.

"No reply, uh?", Dib said venomously, "You come into my house… you say you are outraged for Torque being close to me… but… WHERE WERE YOU THAT TIME, ZIM? ANSWER ME!". The girl clenched and unclenched her fists.

"… them"

"What?", Dib said, he thought he heard the invader say something, "Come again?"

"I was planning on killing them", Zim repeated. Did was quite shocked but he still had some more ranting to do.

"Killing them, you say", the girl said mockingly, "and when had you planed on doing that! They had plenty of time to entertain themselves with me while you say you were planning on _killing them_… don't come telling me crap like that! If it hadn't been for Torque…"

Dib suddenly felt knocked back against her bedroom wall, she didn't know how Zim moved so fast in such a short space between them… what she did know was that the irken had pinned her clothes – specifically at wrist, arms, and waist-level – with his spider legs. The irken gloved hand was under her chin, making her met his crimson eyes.

"Don't say that name again…", it was an order, but also seemed a plea.

"Or what… are you going to rip my tongue apart, Zim?", she said courtly, "If it isn't your way, there is no other way? Don't make me laugh! I have put up with a lot of your crap until now to even care".

"I didn't kill them", the invader said, as if he hadn't heard Dib's reply, "… because you were going to come looking for me to '_avenge them_' even though they didn't deserve your fake pity".

"Fake… pity?", Did seemed shocked, "I would never pretend to feel something I don't…"

"YOU LIAR!", the alien spat the words on the girl's face, "Now it's you who shouldn't be outraged at what I'm saying… at least I'm honest and coherent with what I say and do… BUT YOU! You think one thing and you go doing something different". Dib looked at Zim's eyes, not that she had other choice since Zim's claw was holding her chin. The irken studied the girl's face and went on, talking.

"I'm certain that if I had killed those low-life scums, there would have been some casualties… and I wouldn't have cared. They can all go to hell, or wherever the humans go when they are dead; I don't mind them in the least. But you…", the words growled on his throat, "… You would have been a HYPOCRITE! 'Cause you would have been safe and sound… I would have made sure of it… but still… you would have pretended that they didn't deserve that fate and that I was being unfair to them, Dib-worm! Am I not right?"

Dib said nothing, but his body started to tremble, either by fear or anger he could not tell. Zim's words were being hurtful and harsh, even more than the sharpened ends of the spider legs.

"Shut up, Zim", that was all the girl could manage to say, "Shut up or I…"

"You what, Dib-meat?", the alien teased, he gripped the chin of the human roughly until he saw him flinch, "you cannot do a thing… and you want to know why is that?"

Dib looked at Zim with a mixture of fear and anger; pain and hate… but said nothing.

"I'll tell you why, human", the invader hissed, "because, even now, that you are hold in this pitiful and 'dangerous' position… you cannot show your true self. I'm sure there is one part of yourself that, right now, wants to smash me to death… but there is also another part of you that knows that what I'm saying is true. So… which one will you follow?"

Zim let go of the girl's chin and her head fell down as if it had no strength of its own to keep it lifted.

"Zim is always Zim", the irken said, "but I wonder… which Dib is Dib?"

The alien made a retreating leap toward the window and Dib body fell kneeled to the floor once the support given by the spider legs were gone, his head still bowed.

"Think about it, Dib", Zim said before leaping out, "I don't think your problem has anything to do with a body swap".

Some drops fell on the human's shirt, but – luckily for her – she was completely alone.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Hope you like it, maybe it's not all romantic and stuff... but I'believe that is the way Zim would show his "concern" about the Did-stink. Anyway, I'll keep probing and trying. Cheers!

The story will be posted quite randomly, since I still am not at my full writer-potential. Sorry! -_-'.

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	8. Ch 8 Do I really look different?

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! Here comes another chap.

Thanks to all the loyal readers, I thought of a way to show Zim's soft side without making it too sickly sweet... still, bear with me if it is not what you usally expect from a ZADR.

Thanks!

The " **x** " is a page braker. _Italics_ are thoughts.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 8. Do I really look different?**

Dib sighed for the hundredth time while lying on his bed. After his confrontation with Zim, the Winter Vacations came rushing as a healing wave: no more Zim, no more Torque, no more anyone. Of course the next morning after their quarrel, Dib had found an e-mail from Gaz in his inbox; the mail explained that she and Professor Membrane had gone on a scientific trip to M… and they had forgotten to tell him. _How typical!_, the raven-haired girl thought. But she also suspected that Gaz had plotted not telling him anything until it was too late to do something about it – like a payback for that time when they were kids and she had been expecting to go out to dine pizza with the Professor but the family hang-out had to be cancelled due to Dib not being on time… or something like that.

Dib didn't really remember the details of the failed diner attempt with his father, but heck Gaz didn't forget easily. _She made my life a living hell for quite a long time_, his mind echoed. Anyway, he knew how important was for Gaz to have some father-daughter time. "Truth be told, it was for the best I wasn't taken to that trip", he sighed to himself those words. But that was also the reason he was lying on bed this second day of the Winter Vacations. He also knew that he had to be helping Zim fix the machine if he wanted his old body back, but Zim words were still fresh in his mind…

"_Zim is always Zim… but I wonder… which Dib is Dib?"_

"Man!", Dib said to the empty room, "Am I really that incoherent?" None answered of course; he went on an on talking to himself. "I mean, sure… I can decide I don't like something and still be able to bear it… but that's because I'm diplomatic and polite, am I not?", she asked.

"Of course not! That's because you are a hypocrite AND a moron", a well-known voice said from the window. The girl immediately leaped to her feet.

"Zim!", she growled, "what the heck are you doing here?... again". _I don't really want to face him right know_, Dib thought, _I'm still battered from his words_.

"Why…", the alien said as if going into a stranger house through their window was the most normal thing to do, "… I came to investigate why my worker hadn't show up to assist me with the broken machine… as he said he was going to do". That last sentence was said through clenched teeth. "You haven't kept your part of the bargain, Dib-stink".

Dib scoffed tiredly and sat on the bed again. "I haven't been feeling well", he lied.

Unexpectedly, Zim placed his gloved hand on his forehead. Dib was taken aback by the gesture. "I don't feel your head hot nor cold… seems just fine to me", the invader said. His tone was that you could hear from a doctor that is proceeding with an examination routine. Dib slapped his claw away.

"Do you even know how to read a human body temperature, Zim?", the human scoffed.

"I have seen in on TV… with GIR", the alien said. "Now say _aaaaaahhh_, Dib-worm"

"No way!", the girl replied in an outraged tone, "You don't even know what are you doing! You are just mimicking something GIR saw on TV… like something from _E.R._ or _Gray's Anatomy_". _Something is pressing your chest_, her inner voice said.

"WHAAA…!", she hadn't notice when the Irken had gotten so close to her that he was now pressing the side of his head on her bosom; he was resting his claws on her hips and his antennae were probing around, Dib thought of the way ants used to feel their surroundings with them to find food or obstacles. She decided to snap out of the comparative stuff. "ZIM!", she growled and grabbed the irken head to push it away from her, "what the fuck are you thinking? This is embarrassing! Don't place your head there, moron!"

"Be still, human!", the invader said. He got hold of Dib's back in an embrace to avoid being pushed away, "If you didn't had this meaty balloons on your chest I could hear your heartbeat better… since you are not telling me what kind of sickness has attacked you, I have to make a check-up on my worker"

"Me-me-meaty ballooooonnnsss!", the girl yelled, exasperated, "That's it, Zim! Prepare for a world of pain and suffering!" She grabbed the alien's antennae and pulled them up; Zim immediately followed.

"Ou! Ou! Ou!", he yelped, "leggo! Leggo!" She pushed him away using the antennae. _Mhmm_, she thought, _so he does have a weak point after all… interesting_. Zim started to caress his appendages; he looked like a scolded puppy. Dib couldn't help but laugh.

"Very funny, human", the alien growled in an attempt to save his hurt pride, "Mess with my antennae again like that and I'll shred you to nothingness and feed you to the hobos!"

"Hey!", the girl said, "It was your fault! You were complaining about _these_ – she made a gesture with her hands to show her boobs without touching them -, but it's your fault that I have them to begin with!"

"And if you are so interested on making them disappear you should be working with me on the machine, remember?", the invader counterattacked. "Beside, for being sick… I think you are holding pretty well", he stated.

"I'm not sick", Dib sighed, "I just wanted you to go way and leave me alone". Zim antennae perked up and his expression became somehow… gloom.

"So… you don't wanna see Zim, uh?", he said. Dib looked at him, something in the invader's voice made him remember the time when he had snapped in the underground cell.

"Is not that I don't want to see you, Zim…", the raven-haired girl said, but she fell silent because she didn't know what she meant anymore.

"Then what is it?", the irken asked, demanding, "were you thinking on seeing _him_ instead?" The word 'him_'_ came out in a low, menacing growl. Dib knew who he meant.

"Of course not!", she retorted, "I don't want to see him… yet; at least, not while I look like this". She took a long appreciative look at herself. "Oh, God!", she sighed and covered her face with her hands; she sat back on the bed and rested her elbows on her knees, "What's happening to me?". She ran her fingers through her hair; it seemed as if she was going to break in tears at any moment.

The irken had seen the Dib depressed from time to time, but this looked as if he was starting to crumble and break. Somehow, deep within his brain – and his skweedlyspooch -, he felt sorry for the human. The invader scouted the room with his eyes, as if to make sure none was spying on them; he gave a few steps until he stood in front of the girl and pulled her up by her shoulders. The sudden movement made Dib's eyes open wide and he found himself staring at the crimson eyes of his enemy.

_Enemy_, she thought, _when was the last time I thought of Zim as a real enemy, anyway?_

"Keep it together, Dib-worm", the irken said as if he were talking to a soldier in war times, "I know you are stronger than this, just… pull yourself together! That's the way you prosper and survive. If I had shown weakness when the tallest left me in this dirt-ball of a planet I would have died if I had allowed myself to curl up in a shaky ball; but I did not, I took it like an invader… I'm a soldier of the Empire… I was trained for that kind of situation… I…"

Dib felt Zim's claw shake as well as all his body. The alien definitely was trying to show a strong façade, but it seemed that the betrayal of the Empire – the Empire he had been so loyal to -, was a heavy pain within his lit body. Suddenly, Dib thought that he had to be strong for both of them… at least at that moment. _After all, one of us has to have a cold head to be practical and show confidence_, her mind ranted, I_ still have my house… my family… the world that I can call my home; all those were taken away from Zim_. _Not that I'm sure irkens have houses or families… but they seem to have some kind of hive-mentality…_

Dib shook his head to stop thinking hypothesis about the irken culture and behavior, or to start sulking on the negative aspects of that thought; right now he had to show Zim that he was not alone on that _dirt-ball of a planet_ as he called it. The girl lifted her hands to the alien cheeks, making the trembling antennae to stop their random dance; they stood perked up, alert. Dib pulled Zim's head to her chest again and she leaned back to fall slowly on the bed until her back rested on the pillow she had there. The human was sure the irken had to hear her heartbeat _now_; it was racing like crazy.

_This is so awkward_, she thought. But when she saw Zim's antennae drowsily following the sound, she felt kind of relieved. But she was taken by surprise again when the invader lifted his arms to embrace her by the waist. _Just like a pillow. Uh, Zim?... A human-ticking pillow_, her mind said and she rolled her eyes, but she wasn't angry or offended… she just fount it amazing; the irken head resting comfortably on her hands and arms while listening to her heart.

_And to think that I wanted a girl to hold me like this someday_, Dib tought, _Zim… you are a damned, lucky bastard... and you doesn't even know it_.

"Do I really look different, Zim?", she whispered. The raven-haired girl turned her head to the window, were the last rays of light were fading way… and she felt her strength fade, too; replaced by sleepiness. She couldn't tell when she fell asleep, guarding the seemingly resting form of the irken.

**x x x x x**

Zim hadn't fall asleep of course, invaders didn't really sleep – they recharged, by plugging their backpacks to any power supply and having some emergency power when they couldn't do it in order to find one –, but he felt so at ease hearing the human heartbeat that he wondered if he could sleep if he tried… still, he didn't allow himself to do it; as an invader, they were taught to stay always alert, always vigilant. When he felt the human body go lax, he lifted his head and looked at the sleeping human. The irken considered that a horrible trait of the species, since anyone could kill them while they remained in that numb state but, somehow, the Dib-stink looked quite peaceful while sleeping.

The irken caressed the human cheek and the girl mumbled, making Zim's claw jump away. He didn't want to wake her up. He got out of the bed, being as careful as he could to not shake it too much. He reached for the window and looked at the sleeping Did again; he let out an annoyed, but soft scoff.

"This will be the only way to make him work on the machine", the alien muttered to himself. His shadow loomed over the innocent-sleeping.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Hope you like it, maybe it's not all romantic and stuff... but I'believe that is the way Zim would show his feelings - if he feels himself safe when showing them. Anyway, I'll keep probing and trying. Cheers!

The story will be posted quite randomly, but I think I'm inspired again to give it a go. Thank you all for your support!

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	9. Ch 9 Look! It followed me home!

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! Here comes another chap.

Thanks to all the loyal readers, when I wrote this chap it looked funnier in my head... oh, well... I tried. Anyway, hope you find it entertaining at least.

_Italics_ are thoughts.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 9. Look! It followed me home!**

Dib-girl woke up, her back hurt for falling asleep half seated-half sprawled; she grunted some and massage it a bit, then she stretched slowly to lesser the discomfort of her numb back muscles. Once she felt better, she yawned and scratched the back of her head, got out of bed, took her towel from the chair in front of his computer station, and went out of the room… into Zim's living room!

"Eh?", she let the surprised vocalization out her lips, "WHAT'S… GOING…ON?"

GIR was seated on the couch watching the Monkey Show and paid no mind to him. On the other end of the living room was the doorway to the kitchen.

_Zim overdid it this time!_, the girl thought angrily. She stomped towards the kitchen. It was empty but there was a plate with a humongous tower of waffles; how could it be so tall without falling was beyond Dib-girl's comprehension of gravity and physics. She shook her head. _No time for distractions_, her mind said, _first kill Zim; then, waffles_. So, she passed by the table toward the toilet installed there and flushed herself away into the underground lab.

The irken was humming a random tune (Invader Zim's opening tune, mind you) when he heard the lab door _swoosh_ open. He didn't turn to observe the newcomer and kept working… until he felt he was being choked with something fussy and soft around his neck.

"Agk!", he gurgled and grabbed the cloth – in this case, Dib-girl's murdering towel – to try to pry it off.

"Moron!", Dib-girl started, not letting go of the towel choking grip, "Do you want me to work on your machine that badly that you brought me to your base while I was asleep? Have you no shame?"

Zim gurgled some and then he used all the strength he could muster to grip the towel and moved his hip higher to make the human lose his gravity center; the invader quickly threw the Dib-girl over his back once he pulled him off the grown in a very likely judo-style. The girl yelped and the irken panted once he was freed to breathe again, sucking in as much air as he could. The Dib-stink was lying with his back on the floor and the towel on her face; she slowly started to seat up and rubbed the back of her head.

"Ouch!", she complained, caressing the sore spot, "That wasn't necessary, you know?"

"Neither your murdering attempt…", slashed Zim; he was also rubbing his neck.

"You have no right to complain!", said the girl while straightening herself; she sat on the floor with her legs crossed in a pretzel-like way. "You abducted me!"

"Mhmm…", Zim muttered, "No I didn't". His answer was so blatant that Dib perked his eyebrows, incredulously.

"Then what am I doing in your house and your underground lab, Zim?", she started to rant, "I came out from my room straight into your living room!"

Zim said nothing; he walked toward the girl and offered his claw to help her up. Dib-girl placed her hand on the gloved claw and she was pulled to stand. While holding hands, the irken took the human back to her room and then he leaped out of the window, making a safe landing with the spider legs. He looked up, the girl was looking out the window but wasn't moving.

"Come out!", the invader said and made a gesture with the hand for the human to go outside.

_I should say I'm puzzled, but it's Zim_, her mind said carelessly. She nodded to herself and went out of the window. Of course, Dib-girl had neither extra appendages nor technological assistance to jump from her window on the second floor to the yard but she had the branch of a tree quite close and she walked on the strongest branch to the trunk and then climbed down: it wasn't as _cool_ as Zim's acrobatics, but she was safe and sound on the ground.

"Why didn't you just jumped out?", the invader asked once Dib-girl got by his side. "You have jumped from higher places when we do battle"

"Zim", the raven-haired girl looked at him in a tired way, "Why would I risk getting injured when there is no need to?"

Zim didn't answer directly; he just shrugged his shoulders and said: "Boring".

"Wait…", Dib-girl said and looked back at the tree she had climbed down, "… that tree is the tree in my backyard!". She looked around, feeling stupid for not realizing sooner. "We are in MY neighborhood!" She looked, baffled at the invader; Zim just smiled slyly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What were you saying about abduction, female Dib?", the irken looked at the human with a mischievous smile.

"But…", Dib said and looked at the outside wall, "that's the wall of my house… so…". She ran around the house and then she froze on the spot, flabbergasted. _This is some kind of horrible TV program called 'House rebuilding gone wrong'_, her mind said. The wall she had been looking had been the one of her house, all right; but now, when she had ran to the other wall… it was a chunk of wall of Zim's house! She ran to the third wall and found it was also green; the same with the final one.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY HOUSE, ZIM?", Dib-girl frantically asked and started to pace back and forth.

"I just decided that if you didn't want to go to my lab, I might as well bring it to you", the invader said nonchalantly, "You know… that _Mohamma_ guy and his mountain gave me the idea".

"What am I going to say to dad if he finds the house like this?", Dib hadn't stop pacing, she was even making a small trail on the dirt she had been walking for a while, "… and Gaz… OH, GOD!... Gaz is going to kill me if something happened to her stuff and her room". The human stopped pacing so abruptly that she almost lost her foot and was about to fall… but avoided it. "What did you do to the chunk of my house that is missing, Zim?", the girl felt a vein pop on her forehead. The irken was very calmed, as if he were just outside to enjoy the scenery.

"Well…", he said while looking conceited at his gloved fingertips, "… I had to relocate it, of course".

"Where?", Dib voice was about to crack in desperation.

"To my own place", Zim sighed as if annoyed to state the obvious, "there was that big hole that was left after I removed that part of my base in order to bring it here. I had to fill it with something or the structure would have crumbled away".

For a moment, the Dib-girl felt as if she were going to faint but resisted the urge. She just looked at the green chunk that was embedded in his purple house and fell on his knees; a twitch on his right eye.

_I'm screwed_. That was the only thought that repeated itself in his mind over and over.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Hope you liked it... and don't worry, I'll try to keep the ZARD at hand as much as possible. Still... I don't know if I should place a very explicit "sex scene" or just hint it, what do you think?

The story will be posted quite randomly, but I'm inspired again to give it a go. Thank you all for your support!

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	10. Ch 10 Looking for a reason not to

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! Here comes another chap.

Thanks to all of you that have kept with the story so far. This chapter has a few surprises/out of place things within (you can post the ones you discover in the review section if you feel like doing it, or just keep it as a private joke for yourselves... whichever you see fit). Still, I consider it safe for everyone to read so don't worry (I haven't made up my mind about adding the "M" yet, even tough the story is rated like that).

Anyway, hope you like it and find it just as amusing as I thought it was when I read it. Enjoy!

_Italics_ are thoughts. The _******_ means the starting/ending of the TV show.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 10. ****Looking for a reason not to…**

In a daze, Dib-girl went to her house front door and opened it to check how Zim had attached his house to hers. When she went inside, the first floor – living room, kitchen, stair case, and door to the basement lab -, was just as always had been… if you ignored the "ceiling" with hanging pipes and half built plumbing that were the remnants of the ones that had been the plumbing system below the invader's house AND a huge worm-like pipe – that the girl believed was the one that took her down to Zim's basement –, that cut down and through the far corner of the living room. When she went upstairs though, she found herself in a very dark and reduced alcove when she reached the last stair step… like a small janitor closet; and she felt someone bumping behind her.

"Zim!", she said and tried to swat the irken in the darkness, "keep some distance… geez!"

"ME?", the outraged invader's voice came from somewhere behind and to her right, "You are the one that is bumping into me, Dib-stink!". She felt a hard surface pushing against her… as if pressed against the wall.

"Idiot!", she spat and slammed the body away from her, "this is your fault! I can't see a damn thing and you are just taking all the space for yourself!"

"You are the one that's hogging the space", Zim growled and slammed back, "I should knock you down the filthy stairs!"

"Not if I knock you down first, alien-scum!", Dib-girl slipped her foot in the darkness until she felt it collide with another feet. _Weird_, she thought, _it doesn't feel like Zim's foot at all_; still, she swung her own foot behind the ankle – or where she knew the ankle was – and tripped the irken. "That will show you!", she said triumphantly.

"Hey!", the irken said, "don't lean on me, Dib-stink!". The irken pushed away the body. "And keep your hands away from my pants!"

"I'm not leaning on you!", the girl retorted and felt a face pressed on her boobs again and some arms grazed at her sides. "Don't touch, perv!"

"You are the one coming at me!", said the invader. "Stop rubbing yourself against Zim!" The human heard some frantic rustling.

"You are the one taking advantage of this darkness to grope me!", the girl yelped when she felt a pinch on her ass, "Keep your hands for yourself!". Zim heard the human grunt and wring around.

"Who would like to grope someone as hideous as you, Dib-worm?... Certainly not me!", the alien barked… with all the commotion in that reduced place they suddenly fell back. _But a wall should be right here to stop our fall_, Dib-girl's mind complained.

"Ouch!"

"Kkyyaaa!"

Bzzztt…

Suddenly all was flooded with light and she had to squint her eyes; she blinked a couple of times and she was able to see an upside-down GIR looking at her.

"Aw!", the little SIR unit cooed, "I wanted to play in the magic dark elevator with you and masta!".

Dib felt a massage on her chest and she yelled. "WOULD YOU QUIT IT Z…", she growled enraged and partially lifted her upper body; the sentence died on her lips when she saw the robo-mom wriggling on top of her; Zim was on the other side dealing with the robot's legs (if you wanted to call it that way) but the three of them were lying on the floor in a heap of heads, arms, hands, legs and feet. When she found which side was up she understood that the three of them had come out of the closet Zim used to keep one of the robo-parents; if she looked to the door in front of that one – were the robo-dad should have been –, she could see her bedroom. _NOW I get it_, her mind said.

"Get off me piece of junk!", Zim pestered and kicked the android aside to be able to stand; he huffed and puffed angrily. The invader tilted his head when he still saw Dib, lying on the floor using her elbows to support her weight, she seemed in some kind of deep thought. He snapped his fingers in front of her face and she blinked again.

"Now you can stand, Dib-stink!", the irken said and looked at the robo-mom, still having spasms on the floor.

"Yeah… sure…", the raven-haired girl said as if in a trance. Zim lifted a nonexistent brow. "You alright?", he finally asked.

Dib stood up and nodded absent-mindedly; the irken frowned but said nothing. "I think I'm going to resume what I was going to do before all this happened", was her blatant reply and she walked to the kitchen.

"Where are you going?", the invader asked. _Is she mad about something?_, he pondered.

"My towel…", the girl said in a droning tone, "… I left it forgotten in your underground lab. I wanted to shower when I woke up and…"; she said no more and disappeared in the kitchen.

"Tch!", Zim clicked his tongue, "What's gotten into her?". He seated on the couch, took the remote, and surfed the channels; he gave an annoyed look at the robo-parent – that had finally regained its footing and was retreating to the closet.

"It was your entire fault", the irken said to the closed closet door.

**x ****x x x x**

Since Zim had taken away most of the second floor away (except for her room), Dib had to go to his dad's basement lab – where the "Emergency Shower" was – to take her bath. She had crossed the irken's living room to her room and took a new set of clothes and then went back to the robo-mom closet and opened it carefully; all this without looking at Zim, which she knew was looking at her expecting some kind of response from her part. The robo-mom had come out and greeted with its unnerving voice: "We missed you, son!"… The Dib-girl had taken that moment to go in and down the stairs.

Once she stepped in the bathroom, the girl thanked her father internally for installing a bathtub there, too. She let the hot water run first and then she opened the cold one to even the temperature, she took her clothes off and got in the tub, letting her body be covered by the nice, warm water. The human groaned and closed her eyes for a moment. _Why am I so upset?_, she started to think, _is it because the one fondling me and groping me was that stupid android? Did I want Zim to be the one doing that?_

"Unconceivable", the Dib-girl hissed. _Is it?_, her inner voice kicked in, _or are you just mad that he doesn't consider you pretty enough to ravish?_

"Knock it off!", the girl growled, "I know what he said…". _And it hurts, doesn't it? Why does it hurt?_

"No! It doesn't!", her voice stammered, unsure, "I had quarreled with Zim so long that his words… cannot… hurt… me… anymore…"; that was unconfidently said and trailed off. _Yeah, right!_

"Shut up will'ya!", Dib lashed again, "I have better things to worry about…". She started to wash her hair carefully and after a few minutes she washed away the shampoo.

Meanwhile, the invader was making his own thinking while seating lazily on the couch.

"How could that stinking human think that I… ZIM!… would do something as preposterous as that!", he grumbled. _Well… you have been thinking about it more often than not_, his own personal, little, Zim-devil told him.

"You lie!", Zim shrieked, "I'm ZIM! A simple being, like a human, would not interest Zim in the least!". _Ooooohhh_, the green devil taunted, _then why were you so disappointed to discover that the robo-mom was the one tantalizing you?_

"I wasn't disappointed! I was annoyed! 'Cause it was disgusting, of course…", the invader shuddered for the unpleasant memory. _But it was OK when you thought the female human was the one doing it to you, was it not?_, his devil pushed,

… A_nd let me recall that '_touching_' wasn't the only thing you wanted to do to her; you wanted to get…_

"… girl-cooties!", the Dib said and splashed some water with her sudden standing; she relaxed again an leaned back on the tub. "Oh, God! What am I? 5 years old? There is no girls-cooties… what I meant was that maybe the female hormones and psych are starting to affect me…", she kept going with her monologue and started to soap her body; suddenly, she stopped. _Since when it stopped being awkward to get naked and see the body of a girl while bathing or showering?_, she thought. _Did I really grow so used to this body that I can easily take it as my own?_

"Does my feelings belong to me or this body arouse them within me?", she asked herself, "Am I always been this moody?". She kept covering her body with the soap and, unlike the other times she bathed, she started to slide her hands over it… little by little. _How does a girl body feels and translates the physical pleasure?..._

"It's starting to feel like a head-ache", Zim growled and massaged his temples; arguing with his inner voice was more infuriating than arguing with the Dib-monster.

_I heard, somewhere, that sex is the best cure for it…_, the Zim-devil said and snickered.

"ARGH!", the irken growled and face-palmed himself, "I want to have the lesser physical contact with that human! Period!"

_But her skin should be so smooth…_

"No!"

_Her boobs so soft…_

"No! Shut up!"

_And you would like to hear her cry your name out when…_

_Would I like to?__ Would I want to?_, the raven-haired paranormalist kept thinking; her hands were washing her shoulders and arms, _would it be all right if I kept this body?_

_Would Zim like you BETTER if you keep it?, _the darkest part of him, somewhere deep in his mind, teased.

"Zim doesn't like anyone", she said bitterly; her hands ran down to her bosom. She thoughtfully cupped the breast on her hands. "These seem like a B-cup…", the girl said, "I wonder what would happen if I…"

"Stop pinching me, GIR!", Zim said, infuriated about how annoying the robot was being after being attracted by the invader's loony soliloquy.

"But making yous lady sad is not good", the little robot said and wiggled a finger as if he were lecturing his master. "TV says yous always have to make her smile!". The SIR unit snatched the remote from one of the cushions and started to surf channels until he reached the AnimCh.

_****A guy and a girl are quarreling with each other when, suddenly, the guy tells the girl:**_

_**- You are the less attractive women on the face of the Earth!**_

_**- And you are the most insolent, ungentlemanly guy I had the disgrace to meet!**_

_**- Well, you are immature and childish! – The guy, with a pig tail says – and you are flat!**_

_**BONK!... The girl hits the guy's head with a big rock and leaves.**_

_**- Don't come near me again! – the girl says and jogs angrily away.**_

_**After a series of events that take place, the girl gets in danger and – when it seems none will come to her rescue – the guy with the pig tail shows up, kicks the bad guy ass, and saves her.**_

_**- Amnar – the girl says and looks to the guy – so, you don't think I'm unattractive, right?**_

_**- No, you are not Enaka – the guy blushes slightly.**_

_**- I'm glad! – she says and smiles warmly at him.**_

_**By the end of the program it seemed as if they had finally gotten along… when a last-minute dispute made them go back to square one and the chapter ended.****_

"Ssseeeee!", GIR annoyingly cooed, "He made his girls unhappy but he felt bad and he went to make her smile again"

"I'm not Zim's girl!", the feminine voice said before the invader could answer his minion. The irken looked to the door where the Dib-girl came; she seemed flushed but had that cold look in her eyes that said he was still in trouble. The SIR unit nudged at his master.

"Show'er some luuuurrrvvv!", it giggled in a deranged way and jumped down the couch's arm to the kitchen, "I'll bake dust bunnies!"

"Err…", Zim stammered and looked toward the Dib-girl, "… what took you so long?". The human flushed some more and the irken tilted his head, intrigued.

"I just felt like taking a long, relaxing bath", she said, defiantly. "Beside, why do you care?". She stormed to her room and slammed the door shut.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Thank you for reading!

The story will be posted quite randomly, but I'm inspired again to give it a go. Thank you all for your support!

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	11. Ch 11 Afraid of looking deep within

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! Here comes another chap.

Thanks to all of you that have kept with the story so far.

I didn't like this chap as much as the others; maybe because I feel there is too much OOCness in it. Still, bear with me... I think I'm finally getting this story to an end (not too soon, though, but sooner). Enjoy!

Mhmm... nope, still not "M"ortified about it. LOL.

_Italics_ are thoughts.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 11. ****Afraid of looking deep within myself**

"Dib-stink!", the invader knocked at the human's bedroom door, "Gir made cupcakes and glazed donuts for dinner!". None replied from the other side.

_Whatev…_, thought the Irken. After the messy start they had that morning, the Dib-girl didn't come out of her room. But if she wasn't going to eat dinner even if Zim informed her about it, then it was her problem; not his. He walked back into the kitchen and sat at the table. GIR placed a warm tray with a fresh batch of cupcakes in front of his master.

"This was the only thing you learned to do right, uh, Gir?", Zim said and took one of the pastries carefully, attempting to blow away some of the heat.

"Nnnooooo", the SIR unit replied childishly, "Is know how to make a sammich, too!"

"True…", the irken said, thoughtful while he munched a cupcake bite. Suddenly, a soft creak was heard and he knew the human had finally opened the door. Dib sniffed the sweet scent of the desserts and her mouth watered; she had been so angry that morning that she had forgotten she hadn't eaten a bite of anything all day. Casually, she strode into the kitchen and sat to the other end, away from Zim (or as far as she could on that table for four).

"Mhmm…", she muttered and licked her upper lip, "… that smells good, Gir". _Even though eating pastries for dinner isn't usual for me_, she thought.

Zim knew the Dib-stink was avoiding him: not only avoiding a conversation between them; but with her eyes, too… and that irritated him a lot, but wasn't sure why. He chomped and gulped a few more cupcakes and donuts before standing. _If she plans on giving me the cold shoulder_, he said inwardly, _mine is going to be freezing._

"Gir!", he said commanding, "I'll be working on the machine tonight… don't bother me!"

"Okey-dokey!", the little robot chirped and placed another tray in front of the human girl. She stuffed the sweets in her mouth like a rabid wombat; from time to time she huffed to lesser the hot steam that hurt her tongue a bit.

"Are you going to work on the cannon this late?", Dib said, looking out of the window where a sunset was falling. Zim stopped his tracks but didn't turn to look at her.

"Of course, Dib-stink!", the irken said, "I work better after the sun is down".

"I'll help you then", the raven-haired girl said. Zim's antennae perked a bit, but he plastered them down against his skull to not let the Dib know he was more than glad to be in his company.

"Of course you will", the invader said matter-of-factly, "you are the worker that broke it to begin with".

"Aw, Zim!", the girl grunted, "just let it go, okay? I said I was sorry and I'm going to help you this time". She stood right behind him, as if not wanting to be side by side with the alien. Zim humped.

"Fine", he said and went down to the lab first. Dib followed a few minutes after. _I hate being so self-aware_, she thought.

Once she arrived to the lab where the weapon was, she saw Zim dismantling the front of the ray gun and checking inside for more hidden damage.

"Do you want me to give you a hand to dismantle it?", she offered, taking some steps toward the cannon.

"Yes", the irken said without taking his face away from whatever he was intently looking inside the weapon system, "but you need to change into appropriate working clothes first"

"What's wrong about these?", she said and looked at her shirt and pants… still to baggy. She sighed, even if she didn't want to admit it, she understood the reason of Zim's request. "What can I change into?"

Zim pointed to an almost invisible slide door to his left. "Go!", he ordered, "You will find a suit there that you can use". Dib rolled her eyes and did as she was told… a few moments later she came out stomping with a pout on her face.

"Are you serious!", she said and stood by Zim's head – since he had kneel to dismantle another section of the cannon -, and her crotch was at his eye level. Zim decided to keep peering inside the machine wired system.

"About what?", he asked, ingenuously.

"About THIS!", she yelled, angry, "I look as if I had been taken out from a Fan Service Anime!". The girl looked at the suit she was wearing one more time. "It doesn't leave anything to the imagination, for God's sake!"

"I see…", Zim said but buried his face into the weapon mechanism.

"No! You are not!", the girl spat heatedly and pulled the invader's face out of the machine to make him look at her outfit. In short, she was wearing some kind of Evangelion-like suit; a purple one with black finishing details.

Zim looked at her face… looking other parts of her anatomy would have been dangerous. Still, he kept his cool and stood up, brushing the dust from his own suit; his was red with yellow finishing details. She-Dib yelped and covered her eyes with her hands.

"I'm going blind!", she said, horrified.

"Oh! C'mon, Dib-stink!", the alien said, "we are both guys! Don't be a wuss!". He chuckled. _Hehehe, wuss…_, he thought.

"No! I'm not!", Dib said and turned her back to the invader, "I mean… I am, psychologically speaking; but this body is not…". _Still, I'm not so sure if I'm me anymore_.

"Dib-stink! Look at me!", the irken growled, demanding.

"No!", the girl said and made fists out of each hand. She kept her back on the alien.

"We are both males!", the invader hissed, irritated, "Look at me!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHO OR WHAT I AM ANYMORE, ZIM!", the girl turned so suddenly that Zim was caught off guard for a moment. "I… just… don't… know… anymore…"

"That's nonsense!", the irken said and took a few steps toward the shaky girl, "You are Dib. You will always be Dib".

"But which Dib do you like best: the ME-Dib or this NEW-Dib?", she asked suddenly. "I'm so confused that I don't know which me is which… so maybe you can tell which one you like better and I'll stick with it".

"You have stayed too long in that form", the invader said, in an almost paternal tone, "It's starting to mess with your brain-cells". He caressed the girl's cheek.

"That's what I think, too", she sighed, relieved by the touch, "but I'm still not sure… and I want to be sure".

"We'll fix the cannon", Zim said and patted her shoulder, "and you will go back to normal".

"But I want to know…", she said and looked up to the invader's crimson eyes, "… and I want to hear it from you". Dib stood on her tiptoes. Zim's antennae perked up in surprise. Two shadows pooled on the wall until only one remain.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Thank you for reading!

The story will be posted quite randomly, but I'm inspired again to give it a go. Thank you all for your support!

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	12. Ch 12 Looks like a toaster to me

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! Here comes another chap.

Thanks to all of you that have kept with the story so far. Hope you like this chap, I found it pretty funny myself... anyway, enjoy!

_Italics_ are thoughts. " **x** " is a page braker.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 1****2. Looks like a toaster to me.**

She-Dib fluttered her eyes open and yawned. The girl looked around and found herself in her bed; in her bedroom. When she pulled away the blanket she saw she was naked…

Even in the depths of his underground lab, Zim's antennae perked and twisted with the sound of a far away scream.

_The Dib-worm has awakened_, his mind said. He chuckled and nodded. A few minutes passed before the lab door swooshed open.

"YOU!", the lithe figure slashed before stepping in. The irken antennae wriggled and positioned toward the sound, but his body didn't flinch.

"Me…", he said softly but clearly for the other to hear, "… what about me?"

"You… me… we…", the raven-haired girl said, not sure how she should approach the subject; her voice had a hint of annoyance in it.

"I see you are still good with pronouns, Dib-worm", the invader said mockingly and kept working with the damaged cannon.

Dib hunched his shoulders as if tired and walked toward the machine Zim was fixing; she located herself on the other side. "Did we… erhm… do it?", she asked and poked the cold metal surface with her index finger. The alien looked at the blushing girl and then back to his work.

"No", was all he said.

"Then explain to me why I woke up naked in my bed!", she demanded, "'Cause the last thing I remember was quarreling with you about your perverted tastes on working clothes and then… then…"

_Why can't I remember?_, she thought.

"You started to crumble under the pressure, pathetic human", Zim said but he didn't seem to really mean the insult, "You attacked my mouth with yours – he took his fingertips to his lips and hissed at the memory -, since you were in such a deranged state I made the computer give you a tranquilizer and take you back to your room".

"Ok, ok, I get it", Dib gave in a bit, "but what about me naked in my bed?"

"I instructed the computer to take off the suit, believe me they are very good for lab work but bad for bed time… because of their tightness, you see".

"Ahá", Dib muttered, "how can I know that last part is true… that it was your computer and not you taking advantage of my helpless state".

"Because…", the irken started, "… I say so. Besides, having you here last night just delayed the cannon repairs. Once you were gone I was able to make steady progress but there are some mishaps I'm still not sure how deal with them"

Dib felt a guilty pang in her chest. _It's true, I haven't helped Zim with the fixing as I told him I would_.

"Tell me about them", the girl said, attempting to be useful, "Maybe I can find a solution".

"Meh…", Zim muttered in disbelief, "The problem is that the most important part of the main energy generator… you know, the one that gathers the energy for the laser to actually be shoot was broken thanks to you". He shut his eyes in thin slits and looked at the internal mechanism from where he was dismantling that damaged piece.

Dib went around the cannon, stepping behind Zim and took a peek at the weapon's insides; she couldn't restrain a giggle that grew shortly in a fit of laughter.

"What's so funny, puny human!", Zim said in an outraged tone, "are you making fun of Zim and his incredible irken technology?"

It took Dib a bit to calm his laughter down; she wiped away a tear from her eye due her laughing fit.

"I'm sorry, Zim", she said and chuckled some, "is just that… it looks like a toaster to me".

"WHAT? HOW DARE YOU?", the irken growled and gripped the wrench he had on his hand, "Maybe I should just let you stay the way you are and see how you handle your bipolarism!"

"Whoa, whoa!", the human said and made a reassuring gesture with her hands, "Don't rush yourself, Zim. What I mean is that I have seen the same part in the toaster my father likes to experiment with".

_Maybe that's the reason why the toasts get radioactive and dangerous_, Dib thought.

"Uh?", the alien lifted a nonexistent eyebrow.

"I'm sure the toaster is in my dad's basement lab", she said in a conciliatory way, "why don't we go and check it out?"

"Fine", the invader said and stood straight, still hurt in his pride, "but don't say ever again that irken technology is as puny as the human toaster technology".

**x x x x x**

"HOW CAN THIS BE? IT _**DOES**_ LOOK LIKE A TOASTER PART!", the invader screamed in disbelief after dismantling the Dib's father's toaster; he looked form his cannon piece to the toaster main piece. Dib giggled a bit but straightened her face when Zim looked over his shoulder and gave her a dirty look.

"I can't understand how or why your father-unit has such an advanced technology here in his stupid basement!", the alien ranted.

"Well…", Dib said and tapped the tip of her snicker on the floor, "… dad is very bright, but his vision in the use of science can go from the most amazing discoveries to _this_". The girl pointed at the super-toaster histrionically.

"Maybe all the time I have been fighting with you has been just a decoy so I didn't found about your father-unit unexpected capabilities", Zim pondered, "He seems like a more dangerous menace to my invasion than you".

"Hey!", the girl retorted, hurt in her pride, "I'm as smart as dad, it's just that… I'm not interested on applying all that science knowledge yet"

Zim chuckled. "Then you will be an excellent asset once I conquer this dirt-ball of a planet… your father-unit as well", he said in a prideful tone.

"I can't believe you are still trying to conquer Earth…", said Dib but she stopped when she saw Zim's features grow dark. _Oh, oh_, she thought, _another mental breakdown about his failure as an invader… I hope not_.

"Let's go!", the invader said sharply and took the toaster piece with him, "THIS is exactly what you need to go back to normal, Dib-stink". He walked almost regally toward the basement's stairs and started to go up the steps. Dib shook her head and sighed. She followed shortly after.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Thank you for reading!

Just 3 more chapters and an Epilogue to go. Yay! ^_^

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	13. Ch 13 Look! They are back!

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! Here comes another chap.

Thanks to all of you that have kept with the story so far. Enjoy!

_Italics_ are thoughts.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 13. Look****! They are back!**

Zim and Dib worked all day with the cannon and late that evening it finally got fixed. Zim patted the metal surface of the weapon and nodded in approval.

"Just as good as new", he said, "by the way, good work Dib-stink".

"Ah! Thanks, Zim… I guess…", the human replied. _Wow! Zim's praising me_, she thought, _he must have gone bunkus_. Suddenly the huge screen fitted on the lab wall flickered to life.

"Is this thing on already?", Tallest Purple said on the screen. Tallest Red growled and pushed his co-ruler aside.

"Well, hello Zim…", he said and his crimson eyes started to peer as if searching the lab on the other side or the monitor. "You there?"

Dib looked at Zim who, in return, looked at the display in a hypnotized way. "Zim", she whispered hoping not to be heard by the Tallest; Zim didn't pay attention to her.

"Here I am, my Tallests… at your service", the invader said and bowed respectfully. _Why are they contacting me now?_, his mind raced, _after all this time they had forgotten about me_.

"Oh, there you are, child!", Red said in a paternal tone, "and you have grown taller".

"Really?", Purple splattered his face on the screen to take a look, "Oh, wow! Is true… he isn't taller than us, is he?". Red snarled and pulled Purple away again.

"Because if he is taller, then…", Purple voice could be heard somewhere behind Red.

"SHUT YOUR TRAP UP!", Red bellowed to him. While both tallest were quarreling between them Zim smiled wickedly.

_So… that's why they are coming to me now_, his mind said, _according to Irken ruling, if there is a tallest irken than the actual Tallest, then… _The invader composed his façade just in time to see Red turning his attention back to him.

"Please, excuse Purple", Red said using a very soft and polite tone, "he has been under a lot of stress lately".

"No, I haven't", Purple voice chirped somewhere out of view. Red rolled her eyes and looked to the side, his mouth formed the words 'get him out' and then he looked at the screen again.

"Anyway…", Red went on, "… we were wondering how was the _Urth_ invasion, Zim? Is there something you need? I'm pretty sure that the equipment we sent you with is quite obsolete by now".

_You just sent me here with GIR and my voot cruiser_!, Zim mind snapped, angry. "Well… that's a very generous offering, my Tallest", the invader said humbly, "I do have a few things I would like to ask for".

"Excellent!", Red seemed pleased with Zim's servile attitude, "we have sent an irken probe to _Urth_ in order to gather a list of all your needs. Once it's done, it will come back and we will check it… sending all your requests back immediately".

_The probe will suffice… for now_, the irken thought.

Zim and Tallest Red keep talking for a while: about Zim's improvements on the invasion, about Zim's experience with the native living forms and environment, and so on. For Dib, which was cleverly hidden behind the cannon when the transmission began, it was evident that Red wasn't enjoying the chat but kept going at it as if he were. Once there was nothing else to talk about between the irkens the transmission ended.

"Well, well", Zim said and clasped his claws together and under his chin, resting his elbows on the control panel, "it seems I will get something more than just the conquering of this mud ball". He looked behind him, to the human that was standing by the weapon.

"What was all that, Zim?", Dib asked, she felt betrayed, "are you going to remain those Tallest puppet 'til you die? Can't you see they are just toying around with you? And what was that crap about sending you supplies and technology again when they hadn't even thought about you for years now?"

The invader understood the human uneasiness; he stood and walked away of the main board and stepped a few steps away from the Dib.

"They know I like power and flattery", Zim explained but then his smiled grew wicked again, "what they don't know is that I _crave_ it! And they have just opened the door of their doom". The irken cackled, delighted.

"How come?", Dib said; Zim was starting to freak her out.

"It's simple", he started, "the tallest irkens are the ones that rule the Empire… but! If there is or are taller irkens than the current ones, the last are automatically overthrown by the newcomer or newcomers".

"But no other irken save you and the Tallest know you are taller than them now", the human said, "How are you going to overthrow them?"

"That's where the probe will come in handy", he said and chuckled, "the probe mechanical and technical components, merged with your father-unit own technology, will give all the means I need to do so".

"Beside", she-Dib said, attempting to shed some logic into the invader's dream of power, "how tall are the tallest, anyway?"

"They both are 5' 8''", Zim replied.

"I see…", the human said and then his face showed a surprised reaction, "but you are 5'10'' now!"

"That's right!", Zim said triumphantly, glad that the human finally caught the drift, "so, Dib, wanna be Tallest?"

"Not with this height, definitely", the girl said and smiled some; she placed her arms around her chest. _I'm only 5' 5'' now_, she reminded herself.

"Definitely not as a girl, either", the irken said, "that body you currently have will be a pain to enlarge… and I don't say it in a figurative way, the procedure to do it will take long and will be plagued with horrible pain; I mean, if you want to stick to the girl-body option".

She-Dib looked at her body and then to the cannon; then, back to her body again.

"Then I better go back to my own, uh?", she said and smiled crookedly at the alien; Zim grinned back.

_Will my feelings disappear once I go back to my own body?_, she thought, _Zim is offering me to become Tallest with him but, is that his way of showing he cares about me or another scheme to take over Earth?_

"Uhm… Zim…", she-Dib said, uncertainly, "Can I think about it?". The invader only shrugged and both went back to the house-level.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Thank you for reading!

Just 2 more chapters and an Epilogue to go. Yay! ^_^

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	14. Ch 14 Now that I look back

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! Here comes another chap.

Thanks to all of you that have kept with the story so far. Enjoy!

_Italics_ are thoughts. " **x** " is a page braker.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 14. Now that I look back...**

"I'm going to go for a walk!", she-Dib yelled from his house front door before she shut it behind her. The days had gone by and neither Zim nor her had suggested trying the weapon yet. The raven-haired girl knew she was dragging her decision too long for her own good.

Dib-girl had gone out to think and roam away from the patched green-purple house. Seriously, who could think clearly about anything inside that architectural aberration? Also, she wanted to straighten her thoughts and feelings about her and the irken. The day was chilly but not cold: she-Dib just had a gray muffler around her neck and some fingerless black gloves added to her boyish attire.

She had walked a couple of blocks when a car honked twice behind her; the girl ignored the sound. The car honked twice again. _If it's a horny guy asking "how much?"… I'm going to kill him_, she thought, _can't believe guys can't stop thinking of sex even in broad light!_ She looked cautiously over her shoulder to the annoying driver…

"Sigrid?", she-Dib said, surprised. The pink-haired girl waved outside the car window and stopped the engine by Dib's side. Most of her hair wasn't pink anymore but blonde; still, the lower layers were in that color.

"Deb!", Sigrid chirped cheerfully, "It's nice to see you! I thought you had gone away for the holidays".

"Holidays?", she-Dib blinked, baffled.

"Well, DUH!", her friend said, "winter vacations equals to Christmas. Have you been living in a cave after school ended?". The girl playfully teased.

"Kindda…", Dib trailed.

"You are funny!", Sigrid said and giggled, "Wanna come with me to the Mall? I'm going to look for my boyfriend's gift, after all… tomorrow is Christmas Eve".

_So fast!_, Dib thought. "Well… I guess I could", she said, tentatively.

"Then hop in", said the pinkish-blond girl, "Maybe we can find one for your boyfriend, too".

"What are you talking about?", the raven-haired girl said, defensively, "I don't have a boyfriend".

"Oh, c'mon! You don't have to hide it from me, Deb… we are friends!", the other girl said and patted Deb's knee, "I'm talking about Torque, of course!"

_Torque_, thought Dib, _I haven't seen him either after the winter vacation started… and I owe him a lot for watching over me_.

"We are not a couple", the girl said and added, "besides, I'm going back to my home after Christmas". She knew it was a half-baked lie. The car tires shrieked when Sigrid pushed the breaks suddenly; the car behind theirs started to honk, irate.

"WHAT?", she asked and watched Deb face, ignoring the honking, "and you were going to leave without telling us anything! Without telling ME!"

"I didn't want to ruin your holidays", Dib excused herself.

"But that's not fair!", the blonde said and resumed her driving, "We are going to miss you… Torque is going to miss you a lot".

"I just came as an exchange student for this period", said Dib, elaborating some more in his previous lie – what else could he do? -, "I told Torque that the first time we met… that's why…"

"Then, what about we hold a Farewell Christmas Eve Dinner for you?", Sigrid said and looked sadly at Dib.

"But you have your own plans for the Eve!", Dib said, "I'm sure your boyfriend and you had already decided on something".

"That's true", the girl answered, "but we can have dinner early, and maybe just something light… dunno, canapés and some soda. Gosh! Even just cheese and bread will do… what I mean is that we should be entitled to see you one last time before you leave! Don't you think?"

"I… guess…", Dib said, hesitantly. _Geez! I'm not going to leave_, he thought, _but definitely they will not see me as a girl after this_.

Sigrid parked in front of the mall and both girls hop out of the car. "Give me your address", she said to Dib.

"What for?", the raiven-haired girl asked and the other just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"To know where to go for the _FaCE_", she laughed when she saw Deb puzzled expression, "the farewell reunion, dummy!"

"Oh…", Dib wrote her address reluctantly and said, " I warn you that the house is being remodeled; so, don't freak out when you see it, ok?". _This way, I will avoid any weird questions regarding the house chunk that doesn't match_, he thought.

"Every once in a while people does that", Sigrid said nonchalantly, "don't make a fuss over it". _If only you knew_, she-Dib's mind said.

The girls went inside the mall and spend a lot of time looking, squealing, trying, checking, asking, and buying – well, Sigrid did it all for both –; Deb just walked with her and smiled awkwardly to all the clerks and shop owners or helpers for all the attention her friend's excitement attracted. Suddenly, an object attracted her attention to a shop window and she stared intently at it; Sigrid voice made her wake from her absentminded state.

"You want to buy that?", she asked, "I don't think is of Torque's taste".

"Is not for Torque", Dib said, "but I think someone will like it". She went into the shop and bought the item, asking to the clerk to wrap it as a gift.

"I don't think you can find someone that can like a thing like _that_", Sigrid said walking with Dib back to the car; she had, somehow, bribed or seduced a guy to carry all her shopping and the poor guy balanced the packages and bags at the best of his abilities.

"Oh…", Dib said and smiled appreciatively, "… you would be surprised of the kind of person that likes this". Sigrid just looked at her silently.

**x x x x x**

"I'm hoooomeee!", Dib yelled once she got inside the house. She went up the stairs, out of the robo-parent closet, and into her room; she placed the little gift box in one of her drawers.

"Where were you all day?", asked the irken from the doorway; he seemed irritated by the human's long absence.

"Just… walking and thinking", Dib said and looked at him, "by the way… how does dinner with friends sound?". She smiled, guiltily.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Thank you for reading!

Just 1 more chapters and an Epilogue to go. Yay! ^_^

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	15. Ch 15 The old look suits you better

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! Here comes another chap.

Thanks to all of you that have kept with the story so far. Enjoy!

_Italics_ are thoughts. " **x** " is a page braker.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**Chapter 15. ****The old-look suits you better**

Gir was excited to have a party and was diligently preparing _sammiches_ and cupcakes like a madman (well, more like a madrobot, but still…). Zim was angrily pulling his antennae when Dib told him which _friends_ were coming. They were arguing in Dib's bedroom to not attract the SIR unit attention.

"No, no, no, AND no", the irken ranted, "I don't want those humans in my base!"

"Hey!", Dib said, "part of this house is mine, Zim! They are just going to drop by for a bit".

"And it's all your fault!", the irken growled and pointed an accusatory claw at the human. "The human girl and her slave-boyfriend are fine… but I don't want that Torque-worm here!"

"Look I know you don't like Torque, but…", she-Dib had started to talk but was interrupted when she felt her body be shoved on the bed; Zim's hands around her wrist and his face very close to hers.

"Saying I _don't like_ him doesn't even cover it, Dib-stink!", the irken said and looked intently at her eyes; she blushed, "I hate him! I despise him! I don't want him near you!... Specially after he kissed you". The antennae went sadly flat against his skull.

"But he didn't do it, Zim…", the girl said, flushed; she could feel the weight of the slender invader over her. "He has never kissed me; you are my first".

"Really?", the alien said, still suspicious; he lowered his face towards the human. Dib closed her eyes and…

_Ding-dong…_

"THEY IS HERE!", Gir stormed into the bedroom – in his dog disguise –, and plopped on Zim's back, bouncing right beside his PAK. "They is here! The party gonna start!"

"Gir!", the irken ordered, "get off me!". Dib giggled and sighed relieved. Once the SIR unit bounced to the floor, it ran through the closet door and went downstairs to receive their guests. Zim snarled in annoyance one more time and let go of the human.

"He better don't get too close to you, Dib-stink", the invader gave her a sharp look, "remember you belong to Zim: guy or gal, doesn't matter to me". He stomped out of the girl room.

Dib lay on her bed a bit longer, attempting to calm her racing heart and recompose herself. Suddenly the information was registered in her mind.

_Was that some kind of '_love declaration_' coming from Zim?_, she thought, _does he mean he likes me no matter what I look like? Or that he won't let anyone – no matter what gender they are – get close to me?_

"Now I'm more confused…", she groaned and pulled her pillow on her face.

**x x x x x**

"… and then the guy says: 'That's not a cow, that's my wife!'", Rick finished the joke and everyone bursted on laughter; everyone but Zim.

Dib hit the invader's side with her elbow, the irken looked suspiciously at her and then he laughter… when everyone else had gone silent; the raven-haired girl face-palmed herself.

"Well…", said Sigrid trying to dissipate the awkward moment away, "… we have enjoyed ourselves a lot tonight but we are here to say bye to my dearest friend, Deb". The girl looked at Dib with glossy eyes.

"I didn't know you were leaving, human", Zim whispered to the girl, through clenched teeth, "I demand to know why!"

"Shut up, Zim!", the girl whispered back, talking by de corner of her mouth, "I told them that I was my cousin and that I was an exchange student and that tomorrow I was going back to my home".

"But you cannot be your own cousin…", Zim continued in that whispering tone but Dib pinched his arm to stop the conversation before the others heard. "OUCH!"

"Hehe… mosquitoes!", giggled Dib, "please don't mind him". She glared by the corner of her eye at the invader.

"You are joking, right? About leaving…", said Torque, "… that's not a nice prank at Christmas Eve".

"No, Torque", Sigird said before Dib could answer, "It's true. Deb is leaving on the 26th".

Torque's eyes jumped from one of the girls to the other. "Maaaann!", he said, "I don't think a long-distance relationship could interest you, D-babe". He meekly smiled at her; the invader growled deep within his throat. Dib pushed a _sammich_ triangle in the alien's mouth.

"You seem to be still hungry, Zim", she said and smiled cheerfully, covering for the source of the growl, but the irken saw a murderous spark in her eyes, "eat another sandwich, there are plenty!". He gulped the food laboriously and took a sip of his irken cola to make sure he wasn't going to choke with it.

"Torque", Dib said, once the invader restrained himself. "I'm really sorry… but no, I'm not interested on long-distance relationships; beside, I'm sure you will find a nice girl that will cherish you deeply".

"Yeah!", he said, unsure, "I was afraid you would say that". Everyone remained silent at the table again.

"Oh my God!", Sigrid said, "It's 10pm already! We have to be at your house, Erick, before we go to mine!". Erick nodded and they stood up; Torque did, too.

"Bye, girl!", Sigrid said and sniffled a bit, "I'm going to miss you; I'll give you my e-mail account and FB name so you can locate me and we can chat, ok?". The girl hugged Dib and kissed her cheek.

"Have a safe trip", said Erick, "I wish you could have stayed longer; Sigrid is very fond of you". He hugged her some and shook her hand. Zim grinded his teeth together and clawed the table surface discreetly.

"Well, D-babe!", Torque said, "this is goodbye, then". He hugged her and Zim bit his lower lip to not scream at the human to keep his paws off the Dib. The jock kissed the girl's forehead and Zim clawed deeper into the table. "Take care… I will not forget you", he said and followed Sigrid and Erick that were going downstair through the closet.

Dib just stood there, frozen; she took her hand to her forehead and, slowly, touched the place Torque had kissed with her fingertips_. I'm sorry, Torque_, she inwardly said, _but I already have someone I love_. She heard the group go out the front door and Sigrid's voice, saying:

"Whoo! When she said the house was being remodeled she wasn't kidding". Dib chuckled at the observation.

**x x x x x**

Zim avoided Dib after the boys and the girl left; the invader went to the underground lab without a word. Dib decided to let him chill out on his own, but she was grateful that the invader endured the humans company for 2 straight hours. The girl sat beside Gir on the couch to watch The Monkey Show Christmas Especial… but sometime during the program she dozed off.

**x x x x x**

Dib woke up sometime later when she heard Gir giggling and shrieking among her foggy dream-state. She looked at the clock hanging on the wall and read 11:45.

_It's almost Christmas!_, she thought and hurriedly, but clumsily, went to her room to pick up the gift box she left in her drawer. She snatched it and went back to the kitchen to flush herself away to the lab. She walked into it once the door slide open and saw Zim's silhouette seating in front of the wide transmission screen. If he had noticed her arrival, he was concealing it perfectly; she strode toward him.

"Zim…", she said slowly but clearly. The alien didn't answer. _Could he be asleep?_, she thought.

"Zim…", she said and got closer to the invader; she was about to shake his shoulder to check if he was asleep when…

"What do you want, human?", the irken said and snapped his crimson eyes open. Dib saw that his PAK was plugged to the power system. _Recharging_, her mind said.

"Umm…", she started and pulled the gift box from her back, "… Merry Christmas". She left the box on the control panel, close to his face. The irken poked the box with a claw.

"What's this?", he asked, "why give Zim a box with a wrapping and a bow?; beside, is too small to put any of my amazing inventions in it".

"It's called a gift, Zim", Dib said and rolled her eyes, "it already has something inside that is for you".

"For me?", the irken pondered, "From you?". He looked at the girl and she nodded.

"Hope you like it", she said, "open it!"

Zim took the little gift box in his claws and shredded the wrapping and bow; he lifted the cover and took out some kind of insignia; a brooch, maybe. But the light was to dim to see it clearly.

"Computer!", he ordered, "Light!". The lab was flooded with it in an instant. Zim gasped, the insignia he was holding in his hand was the irken emblem but it had an inscription at the bottom that read: _Tallest Zim_.

"Where did you get this?", he said and showed it to the human.

"In a jewelry store", she said, "is made of silver. At the beginning I was puzzled, too… but maybe someone saw your army emblem in one of your weird rampages of childhood and thought it was a nice design; as far as I know, it was the only one available. I asked for the inscription, though".

Zim looked at the insignia again and gave it back to Dib. _Was it of bad taste?_, the human thought, _Did it brought him bad memories?_

To Dib's surprise, the invader stood proudly from his hovering chair and puffed his chest out. "Can you make me the honor and put it on my uniform?", he asked the human and smiled confidently. The girl smiled relieved.

"The honor is mine… Tallest Zim", she said. _But what if it's too soon for that?_, her mind's negative side said, _What if he cannot overthrow the Tallest?_ Dib shook those thoughts away and placed the insignia on Zim's uniform.

Somewhere above then a heavy church bell ring could be heard.

_BONG…_

"What's that?", asked Zim and looked up as if trying to figure out what provoked that loudness.

"It's the way we humans signal that our '_savior_' is soon to be born… is quite complicated if you are not familiar with it; but once the bell stops it means we started Christmas Day", Dib said, as shortly as he could.

_BONG…_

"So… you give gifts before that Chistmas Day arrive?", the irken asked. The girl nodded.

_BONG…_

"How long would that bell ring?", the invader asked.

"Until we reach midnight", the human said.

_BONG…_

"The gifts are given before the bell stops?", asked the alien a bit uneasy; he knew that he had no gift for the Dib. Dib knew it, too.

"Kindda…", the raven-haired girl replied, "Each house has their own rules for that: some give it before, some give it after".

_BONG…_

"Then come!", Zim said in a hurry, unplugging his PAK, and took the human's hand. He took her to a "X" mark on the floor a few feet away from the cannon.

_BONG…_

"Stay there, Dib-worm", he said and looked at the girl, "This is going to be your Christmas Gift from Zim". The alien immediately went to the laser.

_BONG…_

"Zim!", Dib said but didn't move from the spot, "we haven't tried that thing; how can we be sure it will turn me back to normal?"

"It will!", the invader said adjusting the controls, "It will be fine!"

_BONG…_

"But what if…", the raven-haired girl attempted.

"IT WILL WORK!", the irken shouted and looked at the human, "please, trust me on this one, ok?"

_BONG…_

Dib remained silent. _Hope it does_, he thought.

The cannon hummed to life and started to gather the energy at the point of the laser.

_BONG…_

Zim grabbed the handles and started to position the gun toward the human. "Easy… Easy…", he said lowly to himself. The weapon locked its target.

Dib closed his eyes and, subconsciously, placed his arms in front; crossing them over his face for protection.

_BONG…_

The cannon fired and ricochet a bit in its tripod base; the laser beam went straight to the human's chest.

Dib felt himself pushed back and fell on his back; bouncing a bit on the floor. "Ugh…", she let the pained groan out.

_BONG…_

_It's Christmas now_, his mind said when he heard the last ring of the bell echo in her ears. He felt himself being pulled to a sitting position and saw Zim.

"Welcome back, Dib-stink", the irken said, "_that_ look definitely looks better on you".

Dib touched himself a bit and sighed relieved; his manly body restored at last. "Thanks, Zim", he said, "I'm glad to be me again". For Zim's surprise, the human pushed him to the floor and gripped the invaders wrist; the human on top.

"Is time for some payback, now", the human smiled confidently. _Man! Is good to be taller and stronger again_, he thought.

There was the rustle of cloths being removed and the outraged squirming and insults of the invader soon changed to a more rhythmical rocking and moaning.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Thank you for reading!

Originally I didn't know what gift would interest Zim at all - since he hates all Earth-made stuff (but waffles, maybe) - so I went for a veru obvious and cheesy gift. Still, I like it a lot. Sorry if you were disappointed by that gift (Did you guess what it was going to be?).

This story ends with the Epilogue. Yay! ^_^

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	16. EPILOGUE

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! This is the last chapter of the story (if you wanna se it like a chapter). It was made in order to wrap up the story, so... I hope it does.

Thanks to all of you that sticked to this story 'til the end. Enjoy!

_Italics_ are thoughts. " **x** " is a page braker.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**EPILOGUE**

As time went by, everything settled back to normal. Two days after Dib changed back to a boy-body, Professor Membrane and Gaz returned from their own private holiday – luckily for Dib, Zim had restored the house to the way it was –, and they didn't suspect a bit; well, Gaz did… and tormented Dib just in case her suspicion turned out right (which it did, but she never really knew for sure). That bullying also stopped after a while.

Did and Sigrid became friends the next year mostly because the girl asked for his cousin _Deb_ almost once or twice a week; time went on and her questions slowly faded, focusing on their own friendship... they didn't disappear at all, but were scattered and not too often voiced out. The raven-haired boy focused more in gaining Erick trust, since it would not look good to be around someone else's girlfriend without said someone present… it worked, and Dib thought maybe it had to do with what Erick told him as a secret: "You look a lot like your cousin, if it weren't for your height and broad shoulders I would believe she still around"… Dib had chuckled nervously at that comment. Luckily, Erick didn't mention anything like that again.

Torque was another story altogether… after Sigrid, he was the only other person that asked lots of questions about her. He also asked Dib for _her_ address to go visit some day, the paranormalist had to drift off topic every time… but it was harder and harder to do. Also, Torque was becoming desperate and he seemed to become more violent and threatening in order to get the answers to his questions. There was a moment in which Dib thought the jock was going to beat him into pulp; luckily, it didn't happened. The good thing was that lots of girls were after Torque and, little by little, he went back to his usual _macho_ charade; however, Dib still could see a spark of sadness and yearn for the girl that left after Christmas. It took Torque more time to recover than the rest, but eventually he also got back on track.

And life settled in its usual cadence…

The Tallest's probe arrived to Earth 3 months later and Zim and Dib tampered it with the Professor's technology. According to Zim plan, he loaded a copy of his PAK information (specifically, the one regarding his new acquired height) and worked with Dib on a hacking virus that would transmit that information - along with the comparative chart of the current Tallest's height - to all the boot cruisers once the Tallest plugged the probe into The Massive system to check his "request list"; for that reason, they had to make the virus camouflage as said list to avoid suspicion from the Talles until it was too late to stop that hidden information.

According to what Zim had told Dib, once The Massive was infected with that virus its OS would stop obeying the current Tallest's commands and would navigate in auto-pilot toward the newer Tallest location: Earth. Of course, once the pilots of the mother ship knew of Zim's height they would also attempt to reach their stranded new leader despite the old Tallest orders.

The boys ran endless tests on the probe and its new protocol before being certain that the plan was going to work; they released it a month after; all which was left, was wait.

**x x x x x**

A boot cruiser descended on the open roof of a creepy green house. It landed swiftly and a short, thin, purple-eyed invader jumped out of it; cautiously, the newcomer looked at the surroundings while the roof started to clamp-close itself. He was being followed by a SIR unit with red eyes. He went downstairs and reached a living room, where GIR was watching The Monkey Show.

"Greetings!", the short invader said, "I'm looking for Zim". He waited for the blue-eyed SIR unit to answer immediately but Gir remained hypnotized by the stupid show. The invader remained still until he felt awkward and started to whistle.

"Masta is playing with the big head!", Gir finally said, "he doesn't like to be bothered when he is playing". He laughed maniacally at the nonsense in the TV. The irken looked at the robot with a disgusted frown.

"Nevermind", he said trying to sound in control, "I'll look for him". The irken wandered on the house and into the kitchen where he found the toilet and flushed away; his faithful unit by his side. The elevator reached the destination and the alien stepped into the underground lab; he could hear some muffled noises coming from there but there was none in sight.

"Glok", the invader said looking at his robotic companion, "scan the area and tell me where the closest living form is". The unit saluted and a red light, in a fan-like shape, came out of his eyes; first from left to right, then from ceiling to floor. Once the scanning ended the unit pointed a hidden door at the right.

"Two living forms located", he said and walked toward the place he had detected them. The invader followed it nonchalantly. As soon as he stepped close to the door, it _swoosh_ open.

"Zim…", he started but then jumped on his spot and covered his eyes, "My eyes! It burns!". He started to run in circles, crying nonsensically while doing it.

Zim huffed and looked to the naked human that was trapped below his body; wrists bonded to the sides of the bed and his ankles bonded to his wrist. Dib's face was totally red and his breathing was jagged.

"I think you will have to wait a bit for your reward", the red-eyed invader said and licked the human's neck before leaving the bed. The irken partially covered Dib with a bed sheet and he wrapped another around his waist. He stopped at the doorway and tripped the smaller invader when it ran in front of him. The purple-eyed irken fell, face-first, on the lab floor.

"Who dares interrupting Zim when he is busy?", he growled and looked at the intruder that was starting to stand; he seemed to have regained some composure .

"Zim… is that you?", the smaller irken said while dusting himself off. Zim rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"No, I'm a moose!", he said an then yelled: "OF COURSE IT'S ME, YOU, TWERP!"

The tiny invader flinched but regained his cool. "Anyway, I'm Invader Tee and I have come to make sure that your height surpasses that of our actual leaders. Glok!" The SIR unit scanned Zim the same way it had done to the lab.

"Scan completed", the robot said, "Subject: Invader Zim… Weight: 120 punds… Height: 5' 10''..."

"That's enough", Invader Tee said, "So… it is true you are taller than our tallest". He said with a disbelieving tone.

"You bet!", Zim said and laughed evilly. Invader Tee bowed before Zim.

"What are your orders… Tallest Zim", a sweat-like drop rolled down his temple. _We are totally doomed_, he thought.

"First, exile Red and Purple to Foodcourtia", the red-eyed invader rubbed his hands, excited, "They will work there until they root", he said that only to himself. "Second, The Massive will keep its wandering through the universe and will report to me when it has found new planets to conquer… I have to start planning for _Operation Impending Doom III_, after all".

Tee nodded and he straightened himself to leave. Zim stopped him.

"And third", he said and eyed the smaller invader until he saw him shake in fear, "no other irken but me will be allowed in this planet without my permission; I have decided to keep it as a Vacational Planet for myself".

"I understand… my Tallest", Invader Tee said and nodded emphatically.

"Fine", Zim purred, "NOW LEAVE!". The small invader jumped on his spot again and hurriedly left the underground lab and the house – his SIR unit clanking behind him –, back to The Massive with their new Tallest's orders in his mind and PAK.

Zim stood at the doorway a bit longer, to make sure there were not going to be more disruption… once he felt assured, he turned his head back to the bed – where a defenseless, tied human awaited.

"So… where were we?", he said and retreated; the door closing behind him again.

_Life sure is good_, he thought before all he could think of was the Dib.

**THE END**

**X X X X X X X X X X**

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading my story; hope I hadn't disappoint you in any way. Since the story is completed, feedback is highly appreciated to improve future stories... so, take your time. Thanks!


	17. Credits

_**Staff**_

**Planner**

ZADRookie

**History designer**

ZADRookie

**Writer**

ZADRookie

**Beta Reader**

None… and I apologize for any typo, grammar, structural error you may have read in this work of fiction.

**Special Thanks To**

Inventor of ZADRF

Captor of the Crazies

Invader Kit Membrain

girsteehee

Randomness

ShizoCow

Anonymous

ArcAngelCrystal

Deidei-chan111

ExplosiveDiarrhea

Invader Ang

InvaderAmi

jhoker

Lovegirl1

Shadako

shar're from abydos

undividible

wolf girl811

xX Eternal Promise

XxFuTuRe-EaRtH-RuLeRxX

and

YOU! For reading this story…

**Presented By**

ZADRookie


	18. Behind the Scene: Chapter 6

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Greetings! I know most of you don't care what happens to Torque, but I decided to post here the "Behind the Scene" that was taken off from Chapter 6.

Hope you like it or, at least, if you were curious about what Zim and Dib said in Chapter 15; this is the thing behind all that. Enjoy!

_Italics_ are thoughts.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**BTS: What really happened…**** in Chapter 6**

"Yeah! I know, babe", the jock said in the same loud voice, "you want some ol' sugar love". He placed the jacket on his right shoulder and then he entrapped the girl between his body and the lockers; placing his palms on their surface. Since she was shorter he leaned a bit…

Somewhere in the hall, Deb thought she heard and angry hiss… and a shiver ran down her spine.

"You okay?", Torque asked softly; so soft, in fact, that the girl wasn't sure she had heard him speak.

"Yes…", she said in that same concealed soft whisper, "… but why are we whispering?"

"To pretend we are kissing, dummy", the jock said in that same faint tone, "good thing the jacket is covering the sham".

Dib looked around her captivity between Torque's arms and body; the lockers on her back, of course. The jacket was _carelessly_ thrown on the jock's shoulder but it slid along his right arm making a curtain that covered them from the school's public eye; Smackey's left arm was placed at her head side and she suspected that if anyone was looking at them from that side they would get the idea of both kissing since only their foreheads and chins could be seen. Their faces concealed behind the arm; and, since, the guy had leaned toward her, Dib-girl suspected their spectators were just hinting and thinking they were doing that.

"So…", Smackey said, still in a hushing whisper, "wanna go to the movies?"

"I'm sorry", the girl smiled, apologetically, "but I have to run some errands today".

"I see…", he said; if he was disappointed for her rejection, it didn't show in his face or his voice, "… don't give it much thought, though… we are pretending"

She replied with a hesitant nod. _The frightening part is that I want to…_, she thought. She was taken out of her insights when the jock straightened up and a devilish smile spread his lips.

"You 'now how I like'em, babe!", he said in a loud voice again, and smacked his lips noisily as if to taste something; there were some background murmurs and Deb's face flushed red instantly. When Deb stepped by his side, the jock slapped her rear flirtatiously; she yelped and immediately covered her mouth with her hands… face glowing even redder.

"Catcha later!", he said and waved good bye. The girl frowned and rubbed her '_hurt_' rump – not that Torque had really hit hard, but she wanted to make the sensation from his hand disappear -, she glared at the murmuring students, who immediately fell silent as her eyes swept from one to another. Still, some crocked smiles and wiggling brows were on the boys faces as if saying: "wish I were him". The girls looked as sour as Deb herself, though.

_The competition_, she thought looking at the girls in a careless manner, _I wish I could tell them I'm no competition at all_.

She took the books she needed for the next class from her locker, trying to be casual about what the school-mates had thought they saw. Deb walked down the corridor with as much confidence as she could muster.

_There will be gossip about this, no doubt_, she kept rummaging for herself. _Why does he have to make this _pretend_ so public?_

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Thank you for reading!

Also, for those that think I rated this fic too high and saw nothing out of the ordinary... I have a surprise for you next weekend. ;)

A/N: No need for reviews unless you feel like doing so.


	19. WARNING

**WARNING:** Content beyond this point is not suitable for people under 18. Please be _mature_ enough to accept that fact if you still skip along. After all, "Mature" relates to a characteristic of full development – either mental of physical.

Also, if you liked the story the way it is and don't want to get disappointed (somehow) you can rest assured that the following content do not affect nor changes the original plot. Thanks!

**A/N:** I'm really sorry for not posting this on time; I had several tasks and chores during the weekend. Still I hope I can deliver to you the decent Mature content you deserve after all my teasing. I'm nervous but enjoy. ñ_ñ


	20. Mature sidechapter  1

Disclaimers: Invader Zim and all related titles belongs to Jhonen Vasquez & Nickelodeon. All rights reserved, etc.

Here is the 1st Mature "Behind the Scenes". I thought in four scenes, altogether.

This one I was thinking on placing it after Zim and Dib get Professor Membrane's toaster part and fix the cannon; as you know, there was hinting but nothing solid. Anyway, now it doesn't have a space within the story flow... unless you think otherwise (which is ok).

_Italics_ are thoughts.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

**B1****: Uncensored**

Zim swept his sweated forehead with his arm after he had twisted the wrench inside the cannon to screw the toaster piece tightly instead of its original piece. The invader stopped for a moment and looked at Dib's back: the girl was standing in front of one of the work tables, slightly bent over the damaged irken piece of technology that had been the core of the weapon – it's power source. She had been dealing with it for a while since Zim was making the replacement because there was not enough space for both to work on the machine at the same time.

Dib-girl was humming a melodic tune and swung her hips – left to right, right to left – enticingly with the beat; her hands and arms moving naturally to poke and probe the damaged core. Zim growled some, he had been trying to avert his crimson eyes away of the Dib-worm in more than one occasions but it was harder and harder to do. Also, the girl's obliviousness to his intent staring made Zim feel in control... and that was a big turn on, unknown to the human. The invader gave the replacement a last check with the wrench to make sure it was securely screwed in its place. It was.

"Why do you toy around with that?", the irken asked; and stood from his kneeled position by the cannon's side, "It is beyond repair".

"We have to make the best of what you currently have, Zim", the human said without taking her eyes off the piece nor faltering in its handling, "if it gets fixed it can be kept as a spare part for something else".

"I see…", the irken said and walked stealthily to the human, "… and why do you think you can fix it? It's Irken Technology, after all… beyond your limited human knowledge and brain". He snickered… his eyes glued to the human's swinging rear. Damn those fucking, sexy suits!

The troublesome part – for Zim, at least – was that he had never considered the suits sexys; they were made for practical use when it came to lab investigation or machinery check-ups. The suits were resistant to a vast list of acids, corrosives, and toxins… at least resistant enough to have time to quickly remove the hazard – or the whole suit - before the substance reached the skin underneath. Also, their constrictive nature was to prevent any suit jam when dealing with machines, gears, and belts… just to mention the most common accidents. But right know it was a torture for the invader to look at the Dib wearing that purple, black striped suit… the sight of the human's curvy body unsettled him in an _inconvenient_ way; the bulge pressing against his own suit was more than enough proof.

"I helped my dad with his super-toaster once or twice, Zim", the human said, oblivious of the irken thoughts, insights, and physical reactions, "I'm quite confident I can fix this". She kept humming and "dancing" on her spot. A few moments later she felt the alien slender, well built form creep behind her; his gloved claws resting nonchalantly on her hips. The human gasped in surprise and stood still. Zim's voice came from behind her and she could feel his warm breath on her scalp… moving to her left ear.

"I bet you can…", the invader said and his claws stroked the girl's hips, indolently, with a circular motion, "…but right now I think we need to fix something else". Dib felt something pressing between her butt cheeks; the screwdriver she held in her hand fell with a deafening clanging in comparison to the silence in the lab. The irken pointy tongue danced close to her ear rim, his clawed hands ran gingerly up and down her flat belly, and the bulge pressing against her butt stroke it steadily.

"Z-z-zim…", she stammered and half-closed her eyed; he hands gripped the work table edge.

"You said it yourself…", the invader said in her ear; his tongue now playing with her lobe, "…you wanted to know which Dib I liked best". The invader breathing became uneven, making Dib-girl shiver. His left claw was now trailing up to cup one of her breast and the right one went down, between the human's thighs; the ramming on her butt was more urging now.

"But…", she-Dib sighed, her skin trembled beneath the suit with every sweep and contact of Zim's body, "… we are…"

"The hell the place we are now!", the irken snarled; Zim knew he was very aroused to stop now. He pinched the human's left nipple between his claws – hard and protruding from the female's subconscious excitement, the irken thought – and the girl yelped and gasped. The index claw of his right hand started to rub softly between the girls legs and her thighs clamped, faltering for a moment. Zim's hip kept stroking and teasing the Dib's rear.

"S-s-stop, Zimmm…", she-Dib moaned. _Oh, God! It feels good, but…_

"No…", the alien purred and nibbled the side of her neck, just below her ear, "… I don't feel like stopping… and I'm quite sure you aren't either". Dib's gloved fingers scratched the metallic surface of the table in an attempt to grip herself to something; to anchor on reality. _I can't believe, Zim… and I…_

The invader's hand that had been toying with her nipple and breast ran up to her neck and hooked one of his claw in the small ring that worked as the handle to zip and unzip the suit; the irken rolled it slowly down, uncovering the humans' skin on its way, making the tip of his claw trail on it while unzipping. The girl moaned, shivered and leaned back – making her butt squeeze the alien bulge between their bodies. Zim half groaned-half croaked when he felt his shaft softly compressed between them… it took all his will power not cum inside his own suit. Playing the Dib and torturing her like that was almost as pleasurable as to go all the way with her. _**Almost…**_, his mind punctuated the word. The zipper reached the end of its trail.

"Z-z-zim…", Dib panted and her fingers fidgeted uncomfortably on the table, as if it were a life-saver_. I don't think I can endure more of his advances anymore… my whole body is burning…_

Suddenly she felt herself being harshly turned around to face the invader; her suit now flapped open - allowing a peek to partly covered breast and covering a bit above her pubis, slightly saving that intimate and soft part of a girl anatomy -, the rest of the suit was tightly around her arms, back, and legs. The first thing Dib saw were the invader's crimson eyes, they were so full of mixed feelings: tenderness, greed, restrain, lust… just to mention some. _The only thing for sure is that I'm the beginning and end of all those emotions right now_, she said inwardly… the certainty of that thought made her all giddy. Unsteadily, she lifted her arms to wrap them around the irken's neck.

Zim's antennae perked up in surprise when he saw the girl embracing him and tilting her head, closing her eyes and offering her lips to him. For a moment, the alien's bravery faltered since he remembered the kiss they had shared before and knowing that a human's body is mostly water: Zim's kryptonite. Still, he knew that he wanted to go on with the whole ordeal 'til the end; he leaned over to kiss her. When their lips met the irken didn't feel any pain but when the kissing became more daring and his tongue darted inside the human's he felt it stinging. He frowned some but endured it, looking at it as some kind of _conquest of the weakness_ that was nested within him. Dib let out another soft moan and caressed the invader's nape. The irken placed both of his gloved hands on the humans butt and lifted her to seat her on the working table; the half-repaired piece of machinery slipped to one side with soft clanking sounds.

Dib broke the kiss to regain her breath after she felt herself pulled into a sitting position, her hands slid to the alien's shoulder; her face was all flustered and a red blush covered her cheeks and neck. Zim ran his claws slowly up and down the girl's back and looked at her intently, he was smirking to not give away that even if the kiss had been good it was a bit troublesome to bear.

"Ready for the next stage, Dib-worm?", Zim said and took one of his hands back to the front of his suit to unzip it… but Dib's hand stopped him and made him lower it to his side. She smiled at the alien.

"Let me do the honors", she said mischievously and tugged the alien against her with the zipper's ring on his red and yellow striped suit. Zim feared she was going for a kiss again but then he felt a pleasurable sensation at the tip of one of his antennae; he let out a growling moan. The human girl licked and sucked the appendage contently, remembering that time in her bedroom when the invader had been very sensitive to the painful tugging she had used then – it seemed that the antennae could work for foreplay, too. Since the appendages seemed to be made of a more resistant keratine-like substance, they didn't seem to get affected by water the way the alien's skin was.

The irken shivered and she could feel it in her hands while she was unzipping his suit; it seemed it took like forever to do it; the invader's shaft immediately popped up from its confinement and Zim let out a relieved gasp. _But I'm not going to let you toy around with me…_, he thought still feeling the playful licks and sucks Dib showered his antennae with. It was hard for the invader to not relate sex to invasion and conquering since irkens didn't _love_ nor formed couples – unless they were Tallest, and that didn't exactly prove they loved each other. No, sex was just another kind of battle waiting to be fought and won or lost.

The irken perked his head up, taking his antennae away from the Dib's attentions and he took the girl's hand to his shaft to let her feel what she was soon to feel within her body. She-Dib gasped and her eyes grew wide, not because of Zim's size – since it seemed quite in proportion with the invader's body - , but because she could feel small blunt thorns through all its length 'til the hilt, where a slim but obvious ring signaled its end; the shaft head was smooth and soft… the whole alien's arsenal seemed to be covered by a slippery membrane but she didn't give too much thought about it. The invader gave her a toothy grin and took his hands to the girl's breast, massaging them and teasing them with his thumb. Dib's touch on the alien's rod faltered but didn't stop; she lifted her right leg to wrap it around the invaders hip, while the other dangled from the table.

Zim's growled and lowered his head to nuzzle the girls' cleavage and solace his face between her boobs; he felt her shiver. Dib took that chance to make a go for one of the antennae again and succeeded… still their foreplay had lasted more than enough and even if she wasn't willing to accept it, she was ready to go all the way. The invader's husky voice took her out of her musings.

"Grip youself, Dib-girl", the alien chuckled and placed his shaft on her entrance, readjusting her suit a bit to be able to do so, "… invasion will have a second meaning to you from now on". Zim pushed himself steadily into the Dib's warm sheath; the raven-haired girl gasped and moaned with her eyes partly closed while her hands when back to the irken's neck, and her right leg, that was still around his hip, tightened its grip. The invader lifted her dangling left leg with his right claw, spreading it a bit more to facilitate his advances inside the girl; his left hand greedily embraced her by the waist. Finally, he was all the way in. Dib felt the blunt thorns of Zim's shaft massaging her insides, teasing her to beg for the lovemaking to start and urging her body to burn with a pleasurable itch that could to only be scratched away by them; she let out a yelp and bit her lower lip.

"Mhmm… good…", Zim said and thrust his hips a bit as if to explore the warmth that surrounded his shaft; the Dib quivered.

"Oh, God! Zim", she panted and attempted to squeeze the alien in her arms and leg embrace, "please…"

"Please… _what?_", the irken smiled and attempted to use his best innocent tone, "… stop?". She-Dib rubbed herself more against the alien, having her pinned in that seated position gave him most of the advantage of movement while she was trapped between his body and the table surface.

"You do that and I'll kill you!", she said through clenched teeth, "Please… give it to me". She said that in a low, soft purr.

"So be it…", the alien said and started to rock slowly and rhythmically in and out. To avoid any more kissing than necessary, he lowered his head and started to lick and suck the Dib's breast; the arm he had around the human's waist remained in place but his hand stroke her side. The claw that supported the female's leg massaged it lightly in the spot it retained it. His breathing started to grow uneven and excited.

"Oh, yeah…", she-Dib moaned, "that's… what I'm talking about". She felt her breathing grow ragged and irregular with each and every of Zim's thrusting. Her hands wandered up and down his head, she could feel her rear tremble and shake on the table with the irken's swings.

"So… tight…", Zim murmured and kept rocking, "feels good…". His teeth nibbled cautiously the human's nipple to avoid any unnecessary pain; the girl's body shivered with thrill.

"So hot…", Dib answered and moaned longer, "I feel as if your shaft is burning inside me… I…". _It's driving me crazy!_, her clouded mind said_, I want more…_

"Dib-stink…", the irken grunted and kept rocking back and forth. The yelping and moaning of the human female was dragging him to the edge.

"Harder, Zim! Faster!", she forcefully pleaded, "Oh, God! Harder!". She tugged at him with a maddening sense of desire. The massage inside her felt good but she wanted to feel more of it… she _needed_ it.

The invader was more than happy to comply, he placed the human left leg around his hip and she eagerly scissor him between them; he moved both of his hands to the humans rump and pulled her closer while his thrusting grew faster and wilder; Dib embraced him and moaned.

"Zim… I…", she said and yelped, most of the physical exertion was made by Zim and she was greatly surprised by his stamina until now.

"Dib…" the alien growled and a hissing moan escaped his lips when he finally gave away to the desire bottled inside him; he heard the human yelling moan and felt her chin against one of his shoulders; getting hold of him so tight while all her body shivered due to her own climax. The spider legs in Zim's PAK came out to support the wobbling invader, allowing him and Dib to remain embraced in that position for a bit longer.

"Wha?", Dib stuttered when she felt Zim's shaft retreating from her, the irken was still embracing her and he wasn't backing away… but his rod did! It was retreating in its own sheath between the alien thighs. While it was retreating it was leaving behind a membrane, which was becoming light brown… she recognized the ring that was at the rod's hilt remaining with the membrane; a sudden movement made her to look to her left and saw Zim's hand retain the ring until his weapon finally disappeared inside him. She looked at the peeled membrane in the invader's hand and saw its tip was filled with thick ooze; the invader knotted the open side to prevent the ooze to escape. Something like a trash can with a biohazard emblem on its front was brought forth by one of the wires on Zim's lab and he threw the membrane in; the trash can retreated.

"Was that a condom?", Dib seemed puzzled. _So much for the high and mighty irken and its technology_, she thought. Zim zipped his suit and looked at the girl with a straight face.

"Sometimes…", he simply said, "… the easier answer is usually the best". He gave the girl a mischievous eye wink. _Victory for Zim!_, the invader inwardly cheered, _those slimy latex caps are indeed good for protection. It keeps the human moisture away even though I can still experience it all_.

He made his spider legs retreat into the PAK and turned around to go up to the house level. Dib looked at her partly nude self and huffed.

"I'll go for a bath right now", she said and slipped herself down of the table; a smile crept to her face and remained there without her noticing.

**X X X X X X X X X X**

Thank you for reading!

Hope this wasn't a waste of your time and that it was what all the persons that may be reading this story for the "M" rating were expecting. If not, I apologize in advance.

A/N: Feedback is highly appreciated since I don't consider myself good to write this things counciously. ñ_ñ


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